MASAKA – The Leader of the Opposition – LOP in Uganda’s Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba has described as ‘unrealistic’ calls from the Deputy Inspector General of Police – DIGP, Maj Gen Geoffrey Kastigazi Tumusiime to submit a fresh list of people believed to have been abducted by state security agencies.
Mpuuga argues that it was meaningless for the opposition to continue submitting lists of their abducted supporters without the responsible government agencies taking any steps of producing them in courts of law or releasing them.
Mpuuga was responding to Gen Kastigazi Tumusiime, who challenged the opposition to submit a list of all their missing supporters to his office. The ‘Army-Police’ General while on an inspection of various police stations in the country last week said his office would liaise with the different security agencies to determine the whereabouts of the alleged missing persons.
Mpuuga is currently, the MP representing Nyendo – Mukungwe Division – Masaka City as serves as Deputy President of the National Unity Platform –NUP political party, which Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine heads.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa also made a similar statement while presiding over a session in which, he clashed with the Mityana Municipality MP, Francis Zaake, who furiously demanded an explanation pertaining to security agent’s continued abduction of people in different parts of the country.
Speaking at a fundraiser for the expansion of St Joseph’s Sub-Parish Church, Nyendo in Masaka City, Mpuuga noted that they were not ready to submit a new list of their missing supporters to any government agency, describing the calls as hypocritical. He demanded that government should first accounts for the people on the lists, previously tabled before parliament.
He observed that although it is painful to opposition parties and families of missing persons, the decision to reject calls for resubmission of new lists better communicates their resolute to the demands for fairness than being submissive to any meaningless calls.
According to the opposition, security agencies abducted people on the missing list before parliament, from different parts of the country during the last general elections for their divergent political opinions not palatable to the ruling party candidates.
Mpuuga noted that the kidnaps have persisted, arguing that the state has reached an extent of tagging criminality to the opposition with the hidden intent of maligning and eventually harassing them.
Mariam Wangadya – the Chairperson of the Uganda’s Human Rights Commission, recently defended security agencies on some of their disputed operations that include covert arrests, saying some of their actions were justifiable based on the character of suspects and the gravity of the crimes involved.
Additional reporting by URN
