Coronavirus disease COVID-19: Uganda MPs divided over security brutality while enforcing presidential directives
Uganda MPs on COVID-19 Presidential directives – A section of legislators led by the Kampala Central Muhammad Nsereko say the action of beating people in the City Center and other parts of the country by the Joint Security Force is a sign of torture, inhuman treatment and violation of human rights.
Addressing journalists at parliament, on Thursday 26th, March 2020, the legislators opposed the negative actions of the Joint Security Forces deployed to implement the presidential directives in the City Centre and other parts of the country in the move to fight the deadly COVID-19 spread in the country.
Security operatives particularly the LDU’s yesterday brutally reacted by beating up boda boda men who defied the presidential directive of not carrying passengers including withdrawing their motorbikes which angered legislators.
This comes after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni addressed the nation on Wednesday night the 25th March 2020, banning public transports that include the use of Boda Bodas unless carrying food onboard but not passengers.
In this directive, only trucks carrying food items were allowed to move but not exceeding 2 people and private cars not exceeding three people on board.
The President’s address followed the five more COVID-19 cases confirmed earlier in the day by the Ministry of Health that included the 8 months baby whose father had travelled to Kisumu in Kenya who is currently receiving treatment at Mulago hospital, and a 65 old man who had no travel history conducting salt trade at Elegu border rising the number of confirmed cases to 14.
The legislators include Muhammad Nsereko of Kampala Central, Allan Ssewanyana of Makindye West, Godfrey Macho of Busia Municipality and Moses Kasibante of Rubaga North.
“People are walking to work now you are beating them, what do you want from our people, why do the thing you have the right to flog others? It’s inhuman, it’s torture, it’s degrading, the law prohibits it, you cannot do it, these are people that are starving at home, you cannot beat them,” Nsereko said.
Geoffrey Macho, Busia Municipality legislator in his view said security was taking quick to act, they would have explained the matter politely first because some people were still digesting the directive.
“If yesterday the president passed a pronouncement and by today the Policemen are beating people who are running to go and look for food, what will it be in the coming 7 days or the 10 days?” Macho said.
However, some legislators, for example, the Aruu County legislator, Samuel Odonga Otto believes beating people to force them to adhere to the presidential directives is the only way to fight the deadly COVID-19 disease.
“This is where even us members of the opposition should say, it’s good to cane 20 people to go home than to endanger 42 million people. So, for me I would personally not lose sleep over it, people should be caned and they should go and stay home. We need to be disciplined,” Otto said.
The Nakaseke South legislator, Paul Lutamaguzi Ssemakula had suggested that 2m shillings be deducted from each of MP to help the government in the fight against the pandemic.
But these section of legislators said they may give government part of their money and they use it to buy cane to torture Ugandans.
“For us, we are not here to gesture, we are here to find meaningful solutions, suspend the payment of loans, everyone who has a salary loan including a journalist on whose salary they have committed about 5o per cent to banks. The idea of us parliamentarian deducting money from our salaries, give it to the government, to buy sticks for beating our people?,” Nsereko wondered?
However, after yesterday’s incident of caning and chasing people from the city including closing city arcades, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Amelia Anne Kyambadde said it was a misconception of the Presidential directives.
She said the directive only applied to food markets like Owino, Nakasero, Kalerwe, Nakawa and the likes, not to city arcades, shopping malls.
Kyabadde as well clarified by saying that vending food in the city was prohibited; she, however, faulted security for their inhuman actions on Ugandans.
