Reposting from a Change Of Guards Blog from … Original Post is from 15 December 2019
By CHANGE OF GUARDS
In a functioning state, the three arms of government i.e the executive, the legislature and the judiciary work closely to promote harmonious coexistence. The legislature makes laws, the judiciary interpretes them and the executive do the enforcement bit through the police and other agencies. The residents of the country who act in contravention of the law are subjected to the due process of the law in accordance with laid down procedures. In its core mandate of keeping law and order, the police has a duty to detect and prevent the commission of crime in the event a crime is about to be committed. That is why there is an offence of attempting to commit a particular crime – attempted theft, attempted robbery, attempted murder, and other criminal attempts. Where a crime has already been committed, the police is mandated to carry out investigations with the aim of establishing the circumstances and identifying the suspects. They are called suspects because they are presumed to be innocent until courts of law pronounce them guilty or otherwise basrd on the available evidence. However, by promoting the subjection of civilians to his kangaroo military court system and involvement of the army in civilian law enforcement, Museveni is aiming at defeating the laid down criminal procedures.
Consequently, there is a growing trend that is almost becoming an acceptable norm where some sections of the population and the members of the security forces are wantonly carrying out gruesome mob justice on victims perceived to be criminals. The most unfortunate part of this development is that all sections of the population just cheer on whenever such gruesome mob justice is meted on victims. Even the civil society and in particular the faith and human rights based hroups have not done enough to condemn such barbarism. They have fallen into Museveni’s trap of thriving on militant violence. The case in point is the most recent incident of gunning down of four Ugandans in the city suburb of Mutundwe by the army on allegations that they were intending to carry out an armed robbery. These victims were shot dead after they had been apprehended. The army claimed that the so-called armed robbers exchanged fire with them. Most unconvincing is the claim that a pistol was recovered from the four who were shot dead while others fled with Sub Machine Guns (SMGs) in their car. An appeal was sent out for the public to be on the lookout for the said car and its armed occupants. What about the multi billion CCTV camera network that is reportedly having a very wide coverage of the the greater Kampala city!!! It is most likely that the four victims were not armed robbers and the said pistol was planted by the same security goons to justify their arbitrary murder. We all recall the machine guns that were allegedly recovered from Hon. Bobi Wine in Arua. What about the coldblooded murder of Ronald Ssebulime on Kayunga road before the police alleged that his ‘armed colleague’ had fled the scene but only a short while later to retract the statement and admit that its officers murdered Ssebulime.
Therefore, in the circumstances, any Ugandan can be arbitrarily gunned down and branded an armed robber.
INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM
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