POLICE BIAS
The Uganda Police Force’s gruesome arrests and interferences in the internal processes of the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change Party must be scrutinized and contextualized. The Uganda Police is partisan and smacks of sheer politicization of crime. This is the agenda for which Gen Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police, has gained reputation.
It is simply dumfounding for the Police to conduct atrocities on peaceful civilian population - breaking peaceful processions, curtailing basic human rights, killing innocent citizens - and then turn around, in a rather comical twist, to blame it on their helpless victims. Where is this nation’s conscience?
The manner in which Ms Fatuma Naigaga Zainab was arrested, stripped and humiliated on Masaka Road, must draw outrage. The Officers, who illegally curtailed the liberty of Dr Kiiza Besigye’s entourage, ought to face arrest. This Police's act of bundling every suspect, into the truck typifies “panda gari”, brutality, cruelty and outright crime against the sanctity of the body, mind and spirit. We should not expect, and sustain a twenty-second century Police to degenerate into such an unconscionable monster.
It is important to contextualize this overindulgence of the UPF in politics since Gen. Kayihura has made it clear that the Police will be the one to shape the election process and its outcome.
Towards the end of 2014 when the NRM expunged its Secretary General, Mbabazi, from its system, the Mbabazi lawyers threatened to sue the NRM Party and the person of the President for many illegalities arising out of that process. Many NRM cadres were awed at how ruthless their Chairman was, given the firm, swift, moreover expensive undertaking to rid Mbabazi off the NRMO administration.
The one voice that largely went unnoticed as usual was that of the Vice President, Hon. Edward Ssekandi. Hon. Ssekandi was quoted in the media to have advised the NRM delegates and various Party Organs to leave everything in the hands of President Musevenit because, according to the VP, President Museveni is experienced in operating outside the law.
This observation confirmed that at least, there is one person who has spent some time to study President Museveni’s operations. Since his Fronasa days, President Museveni worked outside the laws of Uganda. When President Museveni lost elections in nearly all Police barracks in 1996, he dismissed the Police Force as an extension of the Obote and Colonial regimes. He promised to fix the Police with NRM cadres.
Thereafter, attention was focused on the Police from the time of IGP Cossy Odomel to Kisembo until the start of militarization of the Police by the appointment of the then Major General Wamala Katumba as IGP.
President Museveni had predicted that it would become increasingly hard to over indulge the military in Uganda’s elections. He opted to repair the image of the UPDF by transferring UPDF roles in election rigging to the militarized Police.
Museveni had many cadres for the job. He had either Gen Kale Kayihura, or the then Brig. Henry Tumukunde, the renowned and seasoned campaigner for the President, who prides himself as an expert in winning votes in Jinja, Iganda and Kamuli (Operation JIK). Museveni chose the latter.
In essence, the Uganda Police under Kayihura is an extension of the army, both in ideological orientation and physical make-up. It is unfortunate, but Uganda has no civil Police as recommended in Art 212 of the 1995 Constitution (As amended).
In August, the Director of Human Resources of the Police, Andrew Felix Kaweesi revealed that the 80% of the officers in the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department are incompetent (and, in fact criminals) (Ref: DM 28/08/2015). This revelation is important for us to understand how such a large proportion of Police is incompetent, while the political stream that terrorizes civilians and curtails fundamental liberties remains vicious. It simply confirms that this Police Force is primed purposely to safeguard the political interests of NRMO.
END
No comments:
Post a Comment