Kampala, 28th
January 2013;
the police in Uganda’s Capital Kampala on Saturday 26 January, arrested a Radio
Simba News anchor and whisked him away on a police patrol, causing panic at the
Bukoto-based radio station as the radio went off for some time since there was
no one to read the top of the hour news. He was mistaken for Muwanga Kivumbi,
the Butambala Member of Parliament who was the police’s target for his role in
the banned 4GC (For God and My Country)activities. Muwanga, who was being
hosted on a Saturday talk show ‘Ggasibagane ne banamawulire’ (Faceoff with the
journalists) managed to find his way out of the gate as the arresting policemen
did not know his identity.
James
Tenywa was arrested at around midday as he asked the police to explain their heavy
deployment and siege of the radio premises for over two hours. The police were
waiting to apprehend Kivumbi. The operation was led by the Kampala Metropolitan
Police operations commander, Sam Omara.
“It
appears that police could not positively identify Kivumbi, so when I came out
and started questioning the heavy police deployment, they arrested me, pushed me
into the waiting patrol car as I insisted on knowing my crime. I wanted to
identify myself but they didn’t allow me. They whisked me away, but mid-way to
Kira Road police station, they realized that I was the wrong person. They let
me free and I walked back to the station. The radio went off for 5 minutes
before I came back. So I read the news 5 minutes late.” Tenywa told HRNJ-Uganda
One
of the officers reportedly made a phone call to his superiors confirming that Muwanga
Kivumbi had been arrested, “yes we have him. We are bringing him” the officer
reportedly said before realizing it was a wrongful arrest. The police deputy
spokesperson, Vincent SSekatte declined to apologize for the incident, “When he
asked for what the police were doing at the radio, they thought he was the one,
that’s why he was arrested but it had nothing to do with Radio Simba.” He told
HRNJ-Uganda
The
police are fond of arresting people soon after appearing on talk shows. In
2009, a former Radio One talk show host Robert Kalundi Sserumaga was arrested
as he left WBS television where he had been hosted, while early this year, a workers’
Member Of Parliament Dr Sam Lyomoki was arrested as he left WBS TV after a TV
show. In 2003, Betty Nambooze who was a critical journalist was arrested at CBS
radio at Bulange as she was about to appear on a weekly radio program.
“The
police should desist from using media houses as a catchment area for suspects
as this would insinuate that the management of the respective media houses
connive with the police to cause the arrest of some politicians, which in the
end the politicians would be scared of associating with particular media
houses. The police should resort to alternative means of summoning the
suspects, other than causing hatred against the media houses.” Said HRNJ-Uganda
National Coordinator Wokulira Ssebaggala
For More
Information Contact;
Human Rights
Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda)
Kivebulaya Road
Mengo Kampala Opp. St. Marcelino Pre. School
P.O.BOX. 71314
Clock Tower Kampala. Tel: +256-414-272934 / +256-414-667627
E-mail:
news@hrnjuganda.org / humanrajournalists@yahoo.co.uk /
Website:
www.hrnjuganda.org ;BLOG: http://hrnjuganda.blogpost.com
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