By Frank M.Gashumba
frank@sisimuka.org
He once made a joke out of the judicial system of this country and it’s members. It’s hard to believe that this same character is now running to the courts to save him. Funny, right?
Several days after his arrest, Hajji Abdallah Kitatta, the notorious Bodaboda2010 patron and NRM Rubaga Division Chairman remains incarcerated away in an unknown CMI dungeon with a horde of his criminal gang.
His wife, Sumaya Ninsima, last week filed an application in the High Court for a right of Habeas Corpus ( order to cause the presentation of Kitatta before court ) in line with the rights and liberties guaranteed to any suspect.
Under Ugandan laws, suspects are supposed to be produced in court not more than 48 hours after arrest. Kitatta has been in detention since January 20, 2018
The army maintains that Kitatta and over 30 others suspects were arrested over the murder of Francis Ekalungar, the Case Hospital Accountant whose burnt body was found in Kajjansi. His car, a Toyota Premio, was stolen together with millions of cash.
It is beyond comprehension that Kitatta, known for his notoriety and gross disrespect for the judicial officers and court processes, is attracting such sympathy from Ugandans. Not to mention the many people that he has inflicted upon unimaginable pain and suffering in the course of enforcing IGP Kale Kayihura’s interests.
To refresh your memory, this is the same Kitatta, who on August 10, 2016, infamously mobilized goons and self seekers to invade courts to embarrass and humiliate judicial officers and lawyers at Makindye court. This was down for the sole purpose of subverting the due process of the law because of his greed for Kayihura’s money, guns and protection.
The trial magistrate at the time was Richard Mafabi, 51 who had issued criminal summons against Kayihura. The said chief magistrate died two months later on Oct 3, 2016 under mysterious circumstances.
It never occurred to him (Kitatta) that he would once find himself in a terrible situation where his remedy lies only in courts of law. It’s a huge lesson to all regime apologists who are obsessed with impunity or one man’s rule and want to kill all state institutions.
The siege by Kitatta goons on Makindye court was reminiscent of the infamous March 1 2007 attack on the High court by the ‘Black Mamba,’ a government security outfit. The group was commanded by Gen David Tinyefuza alias Gen. Sejusa, the then coordinator of Intelligence Services.
The maverick Gen. Tinyefuza vehemently defended the siege by accusing judges of siding with wrongdoers and terrorists.
Gen. Tinyefuza blasted the judges, saying they hid under their beds while ‘we fought’, but later he fell out of favour with the regime and ran to exile in April 2013 fearing for his life.
When he was lured back by Gen Museveni, he was arrested on January 31, 2016 and paraded before the army General Court Martial (GCM) after several days of incarceration.
Ironically, Gen Sejusa regained his freedom via the same courts and judges he publicly humiliated, thanks to Justice Margret Oguli-Oumo, who ruled on May 28, 2016 that Tinyefuza was no longer a serving officer and therefore should not be tried in the GCM.
History never repeats it’s self! It’s fools who always repeat the same unfortunate history.
Sisimuka Uganda TERI Kulinda Kulala.
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