By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda Rt. Hon Rebecca Kadaga has directed the Human Rights Committee to investigate the claims and present the findings to the house.
This comes after raising concerns alleging that many of Ugandans especially from the opposition political side are detained and tortured from several illegal detention facilities across the country.
While addressing the Thursday 15 August Plenary, The Kawempe North Legislator Hon. Latif Ssebagala Sengendo claimed that several Ugandans have been arrested in areas of Kattabi Entebbe, loaded on canoes and then ferried to ‘safe houses’ in Rwamayuba, on Kalangala Islands where they are illegally detained and tortured.
Hon Kassiano Wadri the Member of Parliament for Arua Municipality also alleged that another safe house exists in Kyengera, Wakiso District.
He also expressed it out that two people from his constituency including a one Jamilla Asha Atim, and a record clerk for Arua Regional Hospital were recently abducted by unknown people and later found to be detained in an ungazetted detention facility in Kyengera.
After the above allegations, the Speaker directed the Minister of Security to present a statement to the house next week concerning the matter.
The Deputy Attorney General Hon. Mwesigwa Rukutana denied claims of existence of illegal detention centers in the country.
According to Amnesty International report 2017/2018, the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly of Ugandans were restricted.
Journalists and others who criticized the President or his family were arrested, detained and harassed. There was a sharp rise in the number of women killed, some of whom were subjected to sexual violence.
The government said it would investigate and prosecute those responsible. Draft constitutional amendments to the land laws gave the government authority to expropriate private land. Uganda hosted the largest number of refugees in the region, including over 1 million from South Sudan.
