Parliament was drowned in agony as Tororo Woman MP Annet Nyakecho held the microphone to share her experience under state detention following her arrest along with others that were found at the office of Presidential aspirant Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde in early March.
Nyakecho was held under house arrest for two days before she was moved to Jinja road Police Station where she spent seven days without being produced in court. She was later on released with no charges preferred against her although police said she had been held on charges of trying to obstruct justice, an allegation she rubbishes as untruthful.
” How would someone even dare prevent the heavy deployment of men dressed in black and heavily armed to the extent that merely looking at them would scare you to death!” She protested.
“Madam speaker, I would like to first thank you for always coming out whenever human rights of members of Parliament are abused, ” Nyakecho started in her Tuesday emotional submission on the floor of Parliament which spanned a lengthy seven minutes.
She brought to the attention of members the ugly threat to human rights in Uganda at the present time and called upon them to act on it immediately or risk facing the same ordeal some time soon or later.
She narrated how she had inhumanly been treated while in detention including being physically assaulted my the Office in Charge of the station for merely trying to show concern after some Chinese nationals were brought in the same cell at the height of Coronavirus fears I the country.
” I was slapped by the OC. He assaulted me for merely protesting being caged in the same cell with Chinese suspects who were brought in past midnight. That night was hell for us. Beddings were withdrawn from us so we had to sleep on bare floor madam speaker.., ” Nyakecho narrated with tears in her eyes.
She said there were many Ugandans being held in the different detention facilities around the country on tramped up charges with no voice to speak for them. In like her who Is a member of Parliament, a status that she says helped her gain freedom after court ordered for her to be produced in court, many Ugandans are being held with no hope for justice.
” What if a someone like me who is a Member of Parliament can be treated like this, what about other people with no status like mine! Will such people ever get Justice!” She remarked, looking at the Speaker sternly as though expecting an instant answer.
Nyakecho was detained a long with her husband and two brothers who she says one is her Personal assistant and a driver who she says had come to pick her from Tumukunde’s office, the man she openly confessed of supporting whose Presidential bid.
She says one of her brothers was taken the the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka and tortured for days innocently.
“My two brothers were also arrested and tortured beyond humanly barrable. He was beaten for merely being my brother madam speaker. Which type of country is this madam speaker! ” Asked Nyakecho rhetorically as members of the house nodded in approval.
The Tororo outspoken former Museveni ally on the 2017 age limit Constitutional amendment went full throttle against his Party Chairman by openly confessing her support for embattled Presidential hopeful Tumukunde who is battling prison charges slapped on him for what she refers to as political persecution.
” I went through all this because I support Gen Tumukunde who declared his interest to run for the Presidency madam speaker. Since when did it become a crime to support someone for the presidency other than President Museveni? When did it become a crime for one to stand against Museveni? Doesn’t the Constitution provide for elections every after five years? ” She submitted before challenging President Museveni to remove the Constitution for good so as the world can know they are ruling the country without a Constitution so they can rule for life until God decides otherwise.
She also referred to the Arua abuses against Robert Kyagulanyi and Zaake besides the current state of the Mityana Municipality MP Zaake who is at a risk of losing his life as a result of torture, let a lone Gen Henry Tumukunde who is being held with no access to justice just because those in authority wish it that way.
She concluded by appealing to members of house to debate on the situation of Presidential hopeful Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde who has been denied bail and was rotting in state prison facilities illegally.
” I would like to appeal to this house that we discuss the matter of General Tumukunde who is in prison with no access to justice. I beg to submit.” She concluded amidst a thunderous applause from members of the house.
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