The Uganda police poor human rights record continues to worsen instead of improving; the latest is yesterday’s assault of journalists on duty by officers of Kigungu Post Police who also confiscated gadgets of journalists.
The journalist were on duty at Kigungu landing site in Entebbe to cover the sensitization campaign of Democratic Party dubbed “Kogikwatako” against the Constitutional amendment of the Age Limit clause.
Ssebalamu Kigongo of Bukedde television was manhandled while Sande Ssebagala of NBS Television was assaulted, his shirt torn and his camera was confiscated. The journalists implicated Wambete Cuthbert, the Officer in Charge of Kigungu Police Post, Ambrose Mugenyi, the Community Liaison Officer and other police officers of being responsible for the assaults and confiscation of gadgets.
“I was stopped from recording the views of the people about the said campaign by the Officer in Charge of Kigungu Police Post Wambete Cuthbert insisting that I had to first seek permission from the police and a scuffle ensued as he and other officers tried to confiscate my camera.” Ssebalamu Kigongo said.
Sande Ssebagala on his part said that he was recording the scuffle between Ssebalamu Kigongo and the police officers when he was suddenly attacked by the OC Kigungu police post Wambete and he confiscated his Sony camera and tripod stand. “I was then manhandled, roughed up and had my shirt torn by Mugenyi Ambrose.” he said. This information was corroborated by Evie Muganga of Radio One and Diana Kibuuka of CBS Radio who gave accounts of how the two journalists were assaulted.
The journalists yesterday reported their ordeal to Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ)-Uganda, a national non-governmental organisation that promotes and defends rights of Uganda’s journalists.
Robert Ssempala, the Coordinator HRNJ-Uganda condemned the brutal act, urging the force’s bosses to correct the undisciplined officers.
“As an Organization, we strongly condemn the acts of these police officers and call on the Professional Standards Unit of the Uganda Police force to investigate and bring these errant officers to book,” said the HRNJ-Uganda National Coordinator, Robert Ssempala.
However speaking on behalf of the police, the OC Kigungu Police Post Cuthbert Wambete acknowledged that there had been a scuffle but he denied assaulting and confiscating the journalists’ gadgets but pledged to help the journalists recover their gadgets.
Over the years police has had running battles with journalists as the latter do their reporting work. Police brutality has led to some journalists disabled and loss of equipment.
The highlight of the police brutality against journalist was the beating of the former WBS (defunct) Journalist Andrew Lwanga in 2015 by the former District Police Commander of Old Kampala Police Station Joram Mwesigye. Lwanga and other journalists were at the time covering a scuffle between police and the Unemployed Youth activists last year on Namirembe Road in Kampala.
Despite the establishment of the Professional Standards Unit to discipline errant officers, the Uganda Police Force officers continue to harass and beat citizens, an act that violets the constitution from which the officers derive their responsibilities.
