Africa-Press – Uganda. The call by Buganda Kingdom Katikkiro (prime minister) Charles Peter Mayiga to end tensions in the country is well-timed. His call is premised on grounds that government must free political prisoners and respect human rights (Daily Monitor, March 16).
The backdrop to this are claims by National Unity Platform (NUP) party and human rights activists that government security agencies have arbitrarily arrested, detained in ungazzetted places, tortured and killed some its political opponents.
Mr Mayiga believes that the tension and repression that has built over from these arrests following protests on November 18 and 19 after the arrest of Bobi Wine in Luuka District can best be sorted out when government frees political prisoners and respect human rights.
Indeed, President Museveni’s earlier pledge to deescalate the tension by freeing some of those arrested was good, but has so far come to nothing.
The standoff has rendered Kampala City and its suburbs restless, and motorists inconvenienced by roadblocks and checks with soldiers and military jeeps patrolling our city streets as if the country is at war.
This climate is both reassuring as well as scary and never good for our business and investment climate. Similarly, Mr Mayiga is right to worry that such state of fear and insecurity erases our love of country and security agencies that are vested with protecting its citizens and their property.
As we have invariably pointed out, the sources of tension in our elections in 1980, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and now, have been blamed on electoral violence, the polls being non-credible, not free, and unfair with biased electoral umpires.
The calls by the Katikkiro and the Kabala for a speedy de-escalation of the tensions are exactly right. In similar vein, the government has to decide whether it is pursuing prosecution or dialogue.
And should it choose prosecution, just as Mr Mayiga and the Kabaka have said, government should use the established detention facilities, quickly conclude investigations into these cases, take the suspects to courts. Short of this, as has been the case now for nearly three months, justice delayed for these suspects is justice denied to them.
Both the Kabaka and the Katikkiro are right to throw the challenge at the feet of the President because he has expressed readiness to hold talks with the Opposition. Mr Museveni has openly said: “…we have contacts with some of these groups; we can talk. Whatever divisions we have, we shall talk….” (Daily Monitor, January 20).
We urge Buganda, the wider political Opposition and Mr Museveni to seize this chance for political dialogue and end the rising tensions in the country.
