Yasiin Mugerwa And Ismail Ladu
14 September 2009
Radio One talk show host Kalundi Sserumaga who was on Friday night arrested by security agents, faces sedition charges and inciting violence, the Police said yesterday.
Claiming that Mr Sserumaga committed "grave offences", the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, who had earlier ordered for the release of the beleaguered journalist on police bond, later changed his mind, and forwarded the matter for criminal investigation. "I dint know why Sserumaga had been arrested but after I got a brief from the people following the case, I discovered that it was not a simple utterance," Gen. Kayihura said yesterday at a news conference in Kampala.
He added: "What Sserumaga uttered was serious and can incite (violence). For this matter, I have now decided to leave this case to CID until they are done with the investigations."
It also emerged yesterday that two journalists from Radio Simba; Andrew Benon Kibuuka and Gold Kimatono were suspended by the Uganda Broadcasting Council (UBC) for demeaning the President during their morning show Binsangawano. On Saturday the UBC boss, Eng. Godfrey Mutabaazi, had said it was Ssenkubuge Siasa, who also co-hosts the show with the two embattled colleagues, who had been suspended.
Responding to allegations that Mr Sserumaga had been transferred to the Joint Anti-terrorism Task (JATT) the Police spokesperson, Ms Judith Nabakooba said: "It's not true. We have him at Central Police Station and will be taken to court when we are through with the investigations."
On conviction, Mr Sserumaga faces three years in jail. Mr Joshua Kyalimpa, the chairman of Uganda Journalists Association, told this newspaper yesterday that Gen.ONTINUED TO PAGE 10 Kayihura will meet journalists later today at the Uganda Media Centre to discuss the deteriorating relationship between journalists and the Police. "I know we have our (security agencies) problems with you but we shall discuss all of them and see how we can work together in future in situation like this," Gen. Kayihura said.
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