Leading politicians and public figures in Uganda have attacked the Inspector General of Police for allegedly instigating demonstrations aimed at thwarting his appearance before court, where he was summoned in connection to the beating of opposition kingpin Dr Kizza Besigye’s supporters on July 12 and 13.
Appearing on the NBS’s Front line talk show panelists including Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Kahinda Otafiire, Democratic Party (DP) President Norbert Mao, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) President Francis Gimara and human rights activist Miria Matembe, all castigated Gen. Kayihura for the actions of the rowdy mobs at Makindye magistrate’s court on Wednesday, August 10.
The IGP General Kale Kayihura and ten senior officers are currently facing private prosecution for allegedly failing to supervise their subordinates
“I don’t encourage people rioting around court and if all us are going to bring to court our supporters whether to be tried or not to be tried, then it is going to be (rule) of the jungle. Those who were rioting there, they were acting illegally and I don’t approve what they were doing,” Gen. Otafiire said.
He added: “We must observe rule of law that has been the hallmark of society by the National Resistance Movement. Nobody should stop courts from doing their work. Supporters or no supporters, we should all go to court to plead our innocence, this hooliganism is unacceptable.”
For ULS’ Francis Gimara, Gen. Kayihura must appear before the court on the scheduled date, August 29.
“If what happened repeats itself on August 29, lawyers will sit down and agree on what to do. I can’t anticipate that,” he said, adding: ‘Government should ensure that subsequent appearances are devoid of what happened this week’.
According to Gimara, the police should explain why they opted to allow a demonstration within court premises, a thing he said, is ‘unprecedented and illegal’.
“How come this mob had a license to act the way they did? They even asked the magistrate why he was trying a General!” the ULS boss wondered.
And when Ms Matembe weighed in on the issue, she had no kind words for the IGP, saying he is not above the law.
“Kayihura has defied Parliament, the court… Who is Kayihura that he defies the law?” a charged Matembe asked, while DP’s Mao said the mobs at Makindye threatened the lives of the officers of court. “They were besieged,” he said.
