By Hannah Marion Namukasa
When National Unity Platform president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine declared that he was to contest for the presidency of Uganda in 2020, political tension went high in the country attracting a mammoth to his side being a youth, celebrated musician, legislator and knowledgeable thus replacing the four times presidential candidate Rtd.Col.Dr. Kizza Besigye as the opposition strongman.
With his humble background originating from central Uganda region, with the most population, his art in addressing and speaking to issues that affect the common person also won Bobi Wine massive support from many Ugandans and most especially the youths. This caused panic amongst government organs leading to massive arrests, kidnaps and torture however the actions of the forces instead made him stronger.
The NUP party spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said in a press conference then that hundreds of NUP supporters were being kidnapped, tortured and murdered every day and thousands illegally detained in illegal detention centres while others escaped death with severe and permanent injuries.
The parliamentarians especially those from opposition have several times staged demonstrations demanding for the release of all political prisoners but little or no fruits have been yielded to date hence the latest move by the leader of opposition in parliament Mathias Nsamba Mpuuga of commissioning an exercise were the public is rallied to go and register the missing members of their families for easy tracing.
Having heard the call, a number of victims have rushed to register the cases of their missing persons, friends, relatives and family. Among them is Umaru Kato Kakumba a resident of Kyengera Nabaziiza, Wakiso district who is reported to have went missing since 2018 after leaflets were thrown all over his home with death threats if he refuses to quit mobilizing for people power then Kyagulanyi’s pressure group.
His wife Nakacwa Jane, Brother Bernard Katumba and David Ssekayombya his brother in law registered Kato Kakumba’s case with the leader of opposition to trace their relative whose whereabouts are not clear to date.
They suspect their relative might have been kidnapped and killed like other NUP supporters, or is being held in an illegal detention centres or prison without being allowed access by any of the family members.
Nakacwa is worried about the insecurity and continued intimidation at her home which she asserts has traumatized her two kids and the entire family in addition to the burden of scarcity of getting what to feed on, school fees and other basic needs of life since her husband was the only bread winner at home.
Bernard Katumba a brother to Kato revealed that his brother was a vocal mobiliser in people power pressure group. ”He was among those who moved with honorable Kyagulanyi Robert in the campaigns for the people power candidates in the bi-elections of Bugiri, Jinja, Arua and village level mobilizations for people power. He openly criticized government for failure to serve the citizens.
My brother became a big threat to government when he mobilized for Bobi wine on village, district and national level which contributed to his rapid accumulation of support.” Said Bernard adding that when Bobi Wine was arrested in Arua, the next target was his mobilisers thus Kato being among them might have been killed, detained or kidnapped.
He anticipates this given the very many times police and military randomly allegedly raided Kato’s home at night with intentions of arresting him which always kept them in fear. “The fact that Bobi’s allies and close friends of Kato were pulled out of houses in the night only to find them dead after torturing them, other killed in stage managed accidents, others allegedly poisoned left Kato in a big dilemma”.
Ssekayombya David, Kato’s brother in law, said that Kato’s family was threatened and intimidated to be smashed by unknown people who dropped leaflets threatening to kill the entire family if Kato continued to mobilize for people power. This escalated their fears when his close friends like Ssenteza Kajubi, Yasin Kawuma and many others were killed mysteriously.
He adds that while he was doing his work as a journalist, police from nowhere bundled him on a police patrol pick up only to be released after hours on the nomination day of Kyagulanyi while his other colleagues Kasirye Ashraf, Kitimbo Thomas were beaten, cars vandalized, and others shot at by police and military during and after Kyagulanyi’s campaigns only to escape with severe injuries.
Samuel Masereka, a NUP coordinator in Kasese and novelist Kakwenza are purported to be Kato’s close friends who have been subjected to extreme degree of torture while in hands of security operatives which has subjected a lot of fear and a question on fundamental human rights to those related to them and the general public at large.
David says their little hope is left in the leader of opposition move to register all those whose people are missing and follow them up. He however, asserts it is not permanent cure for injustice and human rights abuse for people in Uganda.
