By Frank M.Gashumba
Mr. President and Commander in Chief, I am of the view that anyone who takes another person’s life surely has no right to live. If you don’t hang such criminals, then the rest of us will think that murder is no crime, and even if you get caught, you can get away with it! Why? Because the laws are weak and the lawmakers are sleeping on the job!
These individuals who are presumed to be of sound mind sit down and plan evil. They murdered an innocent man, a one Francis Ekalungar, who is a husband, parent, son, friend and citizen. Mr. Francis Ekalungar, a Chief accountant at Case Hospital at the time, was kidnapped, driven around in circles, as they prepared to kill him. Once they were done with that, they bought fuel, and burnt his body beyond recognition. His remains were eaten by stray dogs. The thought of how much suffering this man must have gone through breaks my heart. And even more when I think of his little children who have to grow up without a father.
In the wake of all this, the Police Spokesperson comes forward and tells us that the police has no clues on who killed Francis. Very pathetic if you ask me.
A week later, another security organization arrests the principal suspects and they confess to the crime, narrating in detail how they executed the mission. These murder suspects are linked to a militia organization called BODA BODA 2010.
This is the same group that our dear Inspector General of Police went on the defense for at Parliament, saying the group was assisting police with curbing crime around the city. The tax payer facilitates the Uganda Police with over 500 billion every financial year. Those billions are meant to detect, prevent and fight crime. So if Uganda Police can’t investigate a crime that is a few meters from Central Police Station, do we still need to be spending that much on the force?
Then there is the civil society, another big joke if you ask me. How do you tell us that hanging a certified murder is tempering with his fundamental rights? Did the murdered individual not have fundamental rights? Or do they not matter anymore, since they are not living anymore?
When you kill a little known Francis who hails from Busia, you haven’t killed Francis alone. You have killed his family, friends and all those persons whose entire livelihood is based on this one person.
The moment that you sit and begin planning to end someone’s life is the very moment you lose any sense of humanity in you! And neither do you deserve to be shown any pardon. The death penalty is the only punishment befitting in this case. It will send a clear message to other Ugandans that when you touch an innocent person, those are the consequences.
Once someone accused of murder has gone through the right judicial process, and even gotten to the Supreme Court, gets convicted and sent to Luzira, that should be the end for them. The tax payers money shouldn’t be spent on feeding this criminal and he should she hanged the day after his credit has been read! And maybe broadcasting this execution on national television will send the message out, loud and clear. There is no pardon for someone convicted for taking another’s life!
In my next post, I will be shedding light on the issue of the late Desire Mirembe, about a young girl who was murdered by her boyfriend. He later dumped her body in Lugazi Sugar Plantations. The accused confessed and led police detectives to where he dumped Desire’s body. In December 2016, court granted him bail and he is in Kampala eating Sausages and probably plotting for his next victim.
Should certified murderers be hanged????
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