The Leader of Opposition, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga has demanded immediate accountability from different Ministers regarding the brutality meted on different opposition women MPs.
The media is currently awash with videos and pictures of last week’s brutal arrest of Buvuma Woman MP, Suzan Nakaziba Mugabi and several others who had gathered to celebrate the belated women’s day celebrations in Buvuma district.
MP Nakaziba has since been hospitalized with several injuries.
Now during the Tuesday plenary sitting, Hon. Mpuuga asked that the concerned ministers urgently make preliminary explanations as to what steps they have taken to apprehend the police, army officers, and others involved in the violence.
“Some matters are very urgent…they may not wait until Tuesday because the community is really scared as to whether they have a government. When I went to visit Hon. Suzan in the hospital, she was with her sister who was equally in hospital brutalized with bruises and she told me that she was going found by police officers…that her breasts were squeezed, and she was almost laid bare. But because she is not an MP like Suzan, her case did not come to the media,” LOP Mpuuga said in part.
He added that the MP’s mother was equally beaten and slept in the cells and the father was jailed, only to be released in the night.
“The Minister of Internal Affairs should tell us whether he is in charge and immediately. Tuesday next week is very far for these criminals to be still around the people. The army was involved and they were shooting all over the island. They were shooting in water, in the forests…these are insane humans, they should really be somewhere gazetted,” said that Nyendo-Mukungwe MP.
LOP’s statement was in response to a communication by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa in which he noted the brutality against a section of female MPs who have attempted to organize belated women’s day celebrations in their districts.
Tayebwa noted the violent events that unfolded in the Mityana district as the area MP, Joyce Bagala organized a celebration for women, events in Soroti City and other areas.
He told the House that the Prime Minister had been directed to make a comprehensive statement regarding the developments on Tuesday next week.
However, LOP Mpuuga said that the issue could not wait for the Prime Minister and asked the Deputy Speaker to require the different responsible ministers to provide accountability on Wednesday.
“This cannot wait for the Prime Minister, we have tomorrow we have Thursday, and the Ministers in charge of these beasts should be coming to report whether they are still amongst humans. We cannot be leaders in this country when this is going on, certainly, the Minister for Presidency will need to come and explain whether she gave some more powers beyond what we know to the RDCs. How do you jail an old woman for just being a mother to an MP?” Mpuuga asked.
In response, the Deputy Speaker said that consultations would be made on Wednesday regarding the issue raised by the Leader of the Opposition.
“Let’s make consultations tomorrow, then we shall see how best we can handle this issue quickly. But for the urgency…I totally agree with you. Only that we wanted to get a comprehensive response on the matter,” said Tayebwa.
