PARLIAMENT | GOVERNMENT | UGANDANS

The Government has admitted holding five Ugandans out of a list of 25 missing persons presented by the opposition in Parliament.

The list of alleged missing persons was presented in Parliament last year by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga.

The five people in Government custody were named during a closed-door meeting convened by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa.

The meeting was attended by security minister Jim Muhwezi, prime minister Robinah Nabbanja, government chief whip Denis Hamson Obua, and other officials.

 According to Mpuuga, the five include Ivan Kaweesa Ddamulira, Saul Kuteesa, Vincent Ssembatya, Peter Ssengendo Mugabi, and Hussein Kato.

'Flimsy statement'

Speaking to reporters at Parliament after the meeting, Mpuuga said the five names were presented by PM Nabbanja.

“This meeting has been pending for a while, and until I raised a matter as a matter of grave national concern last week on Thursday, the Speaker committed the government to attend this meeting," he said.

"We have the famous list of 25 to which they had committed to making a response. What was offered as a response was a flimsy statement by the prime minister relating to a few individuals. "Five of them,” said Mpuuga.

He said that according to the government, the five were established to be in detention, and they have been variously charged for a multiplicity of criminal offenses and therefore are in the lawful custody of the government.

“What she (Prime Minister) did not answer, is when and why their charges had to take that long because none of them was charged below five months after detention, meaning that she was confessing to an illegality in a Government which she is Prime Minister,” said the LOP.

He sustained the opposition's complaints about the abductions of citizens, which claimed to have been ongoing over the last two years.

'Duty to account'

Mpuuga said the alleged arrests are illegal, unconstitutional, and a gross violation of rights.

He went on to say that he does not believe there is accountability for the missing people and that the government has a responsibility to account for every citizen, including those who claim to have fled the country.

“One of the claims is that some of them could have fled the country. So, we have advised them that it is their duty to account. Let them give a list of those who fled the country and the countries to which they fled. So, the issues remain outstanding, and we are waiting for their report,” said Mpuuga.

He maintained that if the Government fails to report to Parliament as the events transpired during the meeting, the Opposition will offer an alternative report.