Uganda police sources indicate that the number of people who have been arrested in connection with the Kayunga demonstrations is has now grown to over 1,000 and rouge officers and magistrates are making quick money. In the first 5 days after the disturbances where the NRM police and army shot dead 30 Baganda, about 600 people were arrested. Since then, the police has continued to arrest more Baganda, claiming that they are looking for ringleaders and other participants in what they (the police) claim to be public violence and terrorist activities.

Baganda sources within Museveni’s  police force have informed us that the primary reasons why so many people are being arrested are politics and money.  One source told us: “These arrests were ordered from the very top for political reasons. They provide a chance for the NRM to shut up its loudest opponents in Mmengo and the opposition parties, especially DP.  It is one way to put make it difficult for the opposition to start organizing themselves for the 2011 campaigns. The majority are arrested not because of evidence that they did anything but because they used to talk a lot against the NRM government on radio stations. So many of them are Baganda DP or FDC campaigners. In some cases the evidence is manufactured using tips from Banyankore, Bakiga and other non-Baganda who are NRM moles in the opposition parties.”

Another Muganda veteran police officer told our investigator that money is also a big reason why the arrests are growing. The office explained: “As you may expect, when an innocent Muganda is arrested on allegations of inciting violence, his or her family will normally be desperate to have him freed on bail. The arresting officers and the magistrate make some quick money by charging the desperate family anywhere between Shs 150,000 and Shs 400,000 (US$74 to $198) depending on situation. They eat the money and in the books they write that the suspect has been freed on a ‘no cash’ police bond. In law this is called extortion and I know that top people in the police force know that it is going on or may even be supporting it.”

The Uganda police force is commanded by Kalyekezi Kayihura, a Rwanda national who came to Uganda as a refugee and joined Uganda police where Mr. Museveni quickly rose him to the rank of General.

The kidnapped Buganda Kingdom officials have been released on police bond and court bail respectively. The government reports that Peter Mayiga received his police bond from Jinja Road Police station while Betty Nambooze and Medard Lubega got their court bail from Nakawa Magistrates courts in Kampala.  The release of Buganda officials on police bonds seems to suggest that President Museveni’s government concedes or the judge knows that this was an incompetent attempt to “manufacture a case after the arrest”.  Normally, Uganda police bonds are accepted for cases involving petty thefts, adultery, idleness and similar offenses – not capitol offenses.

The three officials were kidnapped by security operatives commanded by David Tinyefuza over the weekend of July 20 and illegally held in secret “safe houses” for more than 100 hours.  The standard legal practice for this type of arrest is to issue summons to the person, requiring them to report to police or to be immediately arrested and transportation to police.  The police are required to produce the suspect in a court of law within 48 hours according to the Uganda Constitution. In this case the arrests were not handled by police and they were personally ordered by President Museveni. And for over 48 hours even the police did not know why the captives had been detained – technically, it was a President ordered kidnapping. On Wednesday a judge in Kampala declared the continued holding of the trio by President Museveni unconstitutional and ordered their release. They were released on Thursday but re-arrested within 15 minutes, in a style that President Museveni and his Minister Ruhakana Rugunda helped establish in 1960s as UPC youth wingers.

As can be clearly seen, the people came out in droves to see the prisoners released and to show them support. More on this story soon.  

Photos from UG Observer and New Vision