Written by
Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. Ugandan opposition Members of Parliament on 28 September 2021 stormed out of plenary session in protest against re-arresting their colleagues.
The legislators walked out shortly after the house resumed on Tuesday afternoon after an adjournment by the speaker Jacob Oulanya to allow the government to present a statement on the re-arrest of Hon Muhammad Ssegirinya and Hon Allan SSewanyana.
Background
The two opposition MPs belonging to the poster politician Robert Kyagulany’s party National Unity Platform (NUP), were arraigned in court in early September 2021 facing murder and terrorism charges arising from the August 2021 killings which happened in Masaka region that claimed 30 lives.
After several days they were dramatically re-arrested at the gates of prisons moments after the High Court released them on bail.
Re-arrest
On 23 September a joint heavily armed security task force first re-arrested Hon SSewanyana as he was getting out of prison on bail, and on 27 same month Hon Ssegirinya was also re-arrested in the same manner.
Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga issued a statement, saying that the MPs were re-arrested on fresh charges of treason and incitement to violence and were transferred to the Special Investigations Division (SID) for statement recording.
Spark of protest
The Speaker Jacob Oulanya told MPs during the plenary that he was not notified about the arrest, and slammed the government for flouting procedures as they arrested the MPs.
But what made matters worse was the Prime Minister Robinah Nabanja defending the act by saying that the “Speakers letter (of notification about the MPs arrest) was on the way, and the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka added that the MPs would continue to be arrested as and when they continued more offenses.
The Head of opposition Mathias Mpuuga, responded to the Attorney General’s statement by saying that it was disturbing and legally scandalous and withdrew his opposition team from what he called ” a vulgarized debate.
Mr Mpuuga told Africa-Press that his members are not going back to parliament until their detained colleagues under unclear circumstances and in horrible conditions are released.
Opposition MPs vowed to continue boycotting parliament until their two jailed colleagues are released.
