By Frank Kamuntu
Kampala: The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has directed the Minister of Internal Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo, to explain circumstances surrounding the death of Emmanuel Tegu, a Makerere University student.
Kadaga’s instruction to Gen. Odongo followed a submission by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LOP), Hon. Betty Aol Ocan.
“The Minister of Internal Affairs is directed to come and explain the circumstances surrounding the death of Emmanuel Tegu,” said Kadaga.
Kadaga called for the prosecution of errant Local Defence Unit (LDU) personnel alleged to be involved in torture of the citizenry across the country during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Aol said whereas there have been various concerns about the conduct of certain elements in the security forces, government has not provided conclusive responses on steps taken to punish errant LDUs.
“The killings are too much. Are the LDUs ill-trained? A lot of lives have been lost; we are scared of giving arms to people who are not trained,” she said.
Nearly a fortnight ago, Tegu, a third-year Veterinary student, was found dead near the University, and his death has since sparked controversy, with the Opposition blaming it on the security forces.
National Female Youth MP, Hon. Anna Adeke said government’s explanation on Tegu’s death has been unsatisfactory, saying the alleged brutality of security forces mostly affect the youth, who she said are already vulnerable.
In the same vein, On Tuesday, 7 July 2020, a Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) video footage showed security personnel roughing up the Mityana District Chairperson, Joseph Luzige.
Brig. Richard Karemire, the army spokesperson in a Wednesday, 8, July 2020 statement said they had arrested four of their officers as part of its investigation into the Mityana incident.
