In a heart-wrenching revelation before the Committee of Presidential Affairs, opposition female members of Parliament brought to light the harrowing incidents they endured during the brutal arrests in April 2023, with allegations that police officers subjected them to undue physical harm.
The committee has now summoned the Minister of the Office of the Presidency, the Minister for Internal Affairs, and the Minister for Local Government to address the distressing reports of police violence against these opposition MPs.
The summon also seeks to investigate the unlawful dispersion of activities during Women's Day celebrations in several districts, including Mityana, Hoima, Soroti, and Buvuma Islands.
The events that unfolded nearly six months ago saw female police officers and opposition female legislators clash at the main gate of Parliament.
The confrontation occurred when the legislators were denied the right to march to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to present a petition addressing mistreatment and arrogance displayed by Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) in the aforementioned districts.
Leading the outcry, Joyce Bagala, the woman representative for Mityana, and Nyakato Asinasi, described their ordeal to the Jessica Ababiku Presidential Affairs Committee. They recounted being manhandled and bundled into police cars, where they were subjected to horrifying scenes.
Asinasi Nyakato, still shaken by the traumatic experience, disclosed with tears in her eyes that she lives in constant trauma when she encounters the female police officers who harassed her, fervently calling for immediate action to be taken.
"Madam chair, today when I see female police officers here, I get trauma, some of them are mothers and the torture that they inflicted on us MPs speaks volumes on how many Ugandans out there are tortured while in police custody," expressed a teary Nyakato.
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The committee members have expressed their deep concern and are determined to hold the political leadership of the respective ministries accountable. They aim to uncover where the police officers and RDCs received their commands to engage in such actions against the opposition MPs.
Furthermore, the committee will conduct a comprehensive investigation into multiple instances where these opposition women legislators have clashed with RDCs and certain police officers, resulting in the blocking of Women's Day celebrations in their districts.
The demand for accountability has extended to the District RDCs and DPCs who have prevented these legislators from participating in their engagements. The committee insists that those responsible should be apprehended and held accountable for their actions.
