KAMPALA – On Friday, Police in Masaka issued criminal summonses to two Members of Parliament (MPs), Ssegirinya Muhammad, MP Kawempe North and Allan Ssewanyana, MP Makindye West belonging to the National Unity Platform (NUP) on account of their alleged knowledge of matters related to the ongoing killings in Greater Masaka.
“This serves as summons for you to appear at Masaka Police Station on Monday 6th 2021 at 1000 hours before D/SSP Moses Taremwa for a statement to the said Investigations,” read summons signed by Paul Kato Tumuhimbise, [for] Director, Criminal Investigations in part.
Commenting on the matter, Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of the Opposition – LoP asked the Police to act professionally, saying that the reverse may create more challenges.
“Regarding the MPs who have been summoned by the Police, given their political inclination, we expect professionalism, due process and justice. Any attempt to use shortcuts to resolve a bigger problem may not serve the ends of justice to the victims and the accused,” said LoP in a Saturday statement, adding that, “Only rare professionalism shall crack what looks like a resurgence of organised crime in which sections of state security apparatus were implicated.”
The killings which began in Lwengo District in the month of July later spread into other neighboring districts like Masaka city, Kalungu and Masaka district claiming 28 lives as of today.
The situation in the region, LoP said, can only be described as desperate; because citizens desire protection from the current uncertainty.
“It is not Government space to act in desperation, but rather act with the desired caution in securing the community while avoiding approaches that tend to create suspicion.”
He urged the security agencies especially in Greater Masaka to work hard to win back the confidence of the community given their immediate checkered past which included killings, illegal detentions and extortions.
“The region suffered similar insecurity two years ago, and some of the individuals implicated were security operatives,” he said.
“We, therefore, caution that investigations into the current wave of insecurity be handled professionally to avoid exploiting it to settle political scores, just like the regime weaponised Covid-19 to brutalise its legitimate opponents.”
Speaking for the first time on the gruesome murders while commissioning new Prisons Service Graduands at Kololo Independence grounds on Tuesday, President Museveni alleged that the murders are being orchestrated by people in political positions.
He, as usual, described the people behind the killings as “Pigs”
Museveni also inferred that there’s evidence directly connecting the murders to the Political actors, these actors Museveni said will be finished politically once the evidence comes out.
“You can imagine such people, killing old people who are 70 and 80 years in their houses, there’s no political strategy in that you’re finished now,” Museveni said.
“I normally call such people as pigs, if you kill an 80-year-old you’re a pig.”
