The relatives of slain child activist Kenneth Watmon Akena has tasked the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, to investigate ‘sectarian’ statements allegedly made by Edith Byanyima, one of main suspect Mathew Kanyamunyu’s relatives.
Through their lawyer Ojok and Company Advocates, the statements that the family wants investigated are those made by Edith Byanyima, a sister to Oxfam boss Winnie Byanyima and an aunt of Mathew Kanyamunyu.
‘We act for and on behalf of the family of the late Akena with instructions to address you as here below. Our attention has been drawn to social media publication of ChimpReports attributed to Edith Byanyima, which you may be aware of, entitled ‘Byanyima; Acholi soldiers killed Kanyamunyu’s father; Acholi Policemen haunting Bahima’, reads a letter addressed to Kayihura.
Whereas the family maintains it’s not after curtailing Byanyima’s God-given right of freedom of speech and expression, ‘we support her in that regard. However, we vehemently object and oppose her abuse of that right which she expressed in an ignorant and sectarian manner against the people of Acholi. We are particularly appalled by her utterance’.
The particular statement the lawyers want investigated is; ‘what guarantee is there the buses will return to Acholi’.
‘We can only speculate about her intentions. We also respect her right to associate with whoever she pleases; we detest in the strongest term possible her utterance of association with those who lost their lives during the Amin era which she attributed to the Acholi soldiers. Criminal liability is personal and we would not wish the murder of Mr. Akena be generalised as she is doing’.
‘Our instructions are to request your office to direct the appropriate office to investigate such sectarian utterance and the perpetuators be dealt with as your office or the DPP may deem in,’ the lawyers state.
