By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: Members of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine (Kyadondo East), Francis Zaake (Mityana Municipality) and Latif Ssebagala (Kawempe North) on Wednesday submitted a list of Ugandans who are being detained in ungazetted safe houses across the country.
Bobi Wine, Zaake and Ssebagala appeared before Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, which was hearing their queries on ungazetted safe houses.
The trio presented a list of people who have been picked by unknown vehicles and dropped at ungazetted safe houses in various parts of Uganda, where they are allegedly being tortured.
The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, last week directed the Parliament committee on Human Rights to commence investigations into allegations of a torture chambers in Uganda.
Kadaga ordered a probe into allegations that there is a torture chamber at Kalangala Island in Lwamayuba operated by the Internal Security Organisation (ISO).
This followed a matter of National Importance that was raised by, Ssebagala who noted that following the increased kidnappings and torture of Ugandans, he had learnt that there is a new safe house operated by security organs in Lwamayuba.
Ssebagala said the the safe house is partly responsible for the increase in missing persons.
“We have heard complaints from the people we represent
over missing persons. People get kidnapped and it takes time without tracing them. This is happening nation wide. Over the weekend, I was approached by those people who managed to escape who informed me that so many Ugandans are kept in ungazetted areas,” Ssebagala told parliament.
The Speaker thus directed the committee on Human Rights to investigate the matter, hence the legislators’ appearing before the committee on Human Rights today, to furnish parliament with details that may help to steer the investigations into allegations of safe houses in Uganda.
