KAMPALA – Four UPDF soldiers who manhandled the LCV chairman for Mityana district Joseph Luzige have been arrested, Spokesperson Brig Richard Karemire has revealed.
In a statement dated July 8, 2020, Karemire noted that the incident happened on July 7 while the suspects were on a routine duty in Mityana.
“This incident no doubt has attracted a lot of attention from the members of the public and the leaders in Mityana district and beyond,” reads an excerpt.
The suspects include Anguria Simon Peter, Odeke Simon,Musundi Caroline and Okello Isaac and will be to be prosecuted in the military court.
“Investigations have also commenced. Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Forces has sent a team of senior leaders that include; Maj Gen Sam Kavuma, the Deputy Commander Land Force (D/CLF), Maj Gen Sam Kawaga, 1Div Comdr and Maj Gen Henry Masiko the Chief of Political Commissar (CPC) to Mityana to make an on spot assessment and confer with both the district leaders and the district security committee,” he said.
Karemire further said that the UPDF regrets this gross act of indiscipline adding ,”That is not characteristic of the UPDF as a people’s army.”
“We wish to restate that discipline remains a core value and bedrock on which the UPDF was founded. Anyone who deviates from this will always be punished according to the established laws. There are examples to prove this in the recent past like a soldier in Kasese was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment and an LDU personnel was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment all because of unprofessional conduct,” reads the statement in part.
He added that they strongly condemn this act meted out against one of the senior civilian leaders.
According to Karemire, there is no need to lose heart over such incidents.
“A comprehensive review of these deployments to enforce anti-COVID 19 measures is soon to take place and we expect better results,” he said.
The incident comes at a time when social media is a wash with the controversial death of Emmanuel Tegu, a third year veterinary student of Makerere University who was allegedly killed by a mob that mistook him for a thief.
However, reports indicate Tegu allegedly told his mother and sister while on the death bed that he was tortured by a member of the Local Defence Unit (LDU) attached to Makerere University but police maintain that the third year he was beaten by a mob and not a security operative.
Police said preliminary investigations indicate that the victim was attacked at around 11:00 pm, near Lumumba hall, in Makerere University on June 28.
“At the time the victim died, the police had not recorded his statement to give us his last moments,” Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson.
