Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, has this afternoon fetched all the 11 female legislators from the Central Police Station in Kampala who were brutally arrested at the gates of Parliament as they attempted to march to the Ministry of Internal Affairs demonstrating the continuous harassment by police.
The legislators were unconditionally released, following an engagement between police leadership and the Speaker, who told the former that they ought to inform her office first when it comes to the arrest of MPs.
“I want to request you that next time, as the head of Parliament, when you are going to do any arrest on my Members of Parliament, courtesy calls that you tell me, I am going to arrest so and so. You may not even need to arrest [but] you could tell me to deliver them because these women are mothers, they are people’s wives,” Ms Among told Police leadership at the CPS in Kampala.
The legislators who were released include;Ms Joan Namutawe (Masaka District Woman MP), Ms Juliet Nakakande (Masaka City Woman MP), Ms Hanifa Nabukeera (Mukono Woman MP), Stella Isodo Apolot (Ngora Woman MP) and Joan Alobo (Soroti Woman MP).
The other are Florence Kabugho (Kasese Woman MP), Ethel Betty Naluyima (Wakiso Woman MP), Joyce Bagala (Mityana Woman MP), Manjeri Tabakutika (Jinja City Woman MP), Nyakato Asinansi (Hoima City Woman MP), Hellen Nakimuli (Kalangala Woman MP)
Speaker Among’s intervention followed a series of engagements on the same with a number of leaders condemning the Police for the continued brutality meted out female legislators and other persons found in peaceful demonstrations and gatherings.
In the lead up to their release, the Deputy Speaker, Mr Thomas Tayebwa, had tasked the government to investigate the implicated officers for staining the image of government.
“You shamelessly do it at the gates of Parliament so I don’t know whether we are safe, if people can be just at the gate.
I don’t know whether they considered being powerful like robots and therefore you need to come like as if you are strangling (and) undress and humiliate,” Mr Tayebwa stated.
“My question is, who are these people working for? I think government needs to go back (and establish) who is behind this. I don’t think these are people who are working to protect government or to promote an image of government. I don’t think so.”He added.
He therefore directed that: “These people must be working for an invisible hand that is aimed at bringing down government because I don’t see any single justification.”
However, before legislators could react on the said directive, Speaker rushed to the Central Police Station in Kampala to personally fetch all the 11 female MPs.
On Wednesday the Speaker received a petition from the female MPs over the same and pledged to address their concerns.
After Speaker Among delivered the female MPs to Parliament, she had a closed door session with them before they proceeded to address journalists on the same.
Speaking on behalf of the 11 female MPs, the Mityana Woman MP, Ms Joyce Bagala, expressed displeasure over the inhumane manner in which they were arrested and immediately indicated they would relent.
“We indicated that we would demonstrate to show our dissatisfaction. That demonstration was happening today as we moved to the ministry of internal affairs to petition them and show our dissatisfaction on the way our members have been dehumanized and locked from doing their work.
“It is very appalling, I don’t know what the police thinks, I don’t what goes on in their mind and how they are trained. We will not allow not today or any other time for anyone to illegally take our space. We will continue to express ourselves. We will continue to demonstrate.”She added.
IGP Ochola summoned
Relatedly, the Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth Ochola has been summoned and tasked to appear at the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) head office at Naguru in Kampala. In the letter dated 27th April seen by the Daily Monitor, the IGP is instructed to appear at UHRC offices on 4th next month at 10:00am.
“You are by this summons required to appear before this commission on the 4th day of May 2023 at 10:00 O’clock in the fore/afternoon to respond to the allegations at the commission Central Region office Plot 55 Katalima Road, Naguru,” the letter reads in part.
Prior to the aforementioned summons, the UHRC Executive Director, Ms Mariam Wangadya, had expressed displeasure over the police brutal manner in which Police and other security officers arrest and disperse persons that convene gatherings in the country.
“The recent events are therefore not only unfortunate but also illegal, unconstitutional and must stop,” Ms Wangadya said before adding: “UHRC will continue to engage the leadership of Police through all available channels and we urge full cooperation.
We call upon the police to respect the law and act professionally in the performance of their duties. Stern and immediate action must be taken against individual officers found culpable in the aforementioned events.”
