Makerere university don Dr Mwambutsya Ndebesa has hit at government for hiding their heads under the sand on matters regarding torture of Ugandans and opting to settle for small matters, leaving the bigger ones unresolved.
Ndebesa while reacting to parliament’s decision to punish Mityana municipality legislator Francis Zaake Butebi for allegedly abusing the Deputy Speaker Anita Among on social media after she mocked him over his consistent beatings under the hands of the state.
The man from Ntungamo says the Zaake issue to which NRM legislators are hugely supporting and have since signed on the paper collecting signatures to remove Francis Zaake from the parliamentary commission is just diversionary from the real torture of Ugandans which should be the main point of discussion and holding those in charge accountable.
According to Ndebesa it’s shocking that parliament and government has reacted with full force while prioritizing Zaake in a full motion on the order paper who simply annoyed a deputy speaker in reply to her provocations.
“Yes Zaake should not abuse anybody including the speaker but why were the MPs not outraged by the torture of Zaake and later by the bad joke of Anita in a mockery. It boils down to political hypocrisy which has become an instrument of rule”-writes Ndebesa
For example during the Tojikwatako fracas, why didn’t General Katumba Wamala who punched Zaake never got sensored but they’re busy collecting signatures to censure Zaake who abused the speaker on social media.
“This is diversionary to divert citizens from the acts of torture. Which is more of a fundamental human rights abuse? Abusing someone or torturing someone? Why didn’t General Katumba who boxed Zaake in Parliament not get censored but censure Zaake who even abused someone on social media? I saw some MPs outraged by Zaake abusing the Deputy speaker”- Wrote Ndebesa
In his submission therefore, parliament should interest itself in the number of times that Hon Zaake has been beaten, tortured by men in Uniform reportedly from the elite presidential unit SFC the recent one being in Kayunga when he was canvassing support for NUP’s LC5 aspirant Harriet Nakwedde Kafero but instead they’re punishing him for expressing his discontent with the person of the Deputy Speaker of parliament.
This came at the height of calls for government to investigate the torture of victims like NUP’s Masereka, novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija who were tortured under the hands of the Military, one reportedly for having links with ADF and the other for disturbing the peace of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and that of his son Muhoozi Keinerugaba
