Tribunal awards victims sh74m compensation for rights violations
The commission awarded Chepkwemoi sh60 million in compensation, with an annual interest rate of 10% until full payment.
( L-R) Commissioners Crispin Kaheru, Lamex Omara Apitta and Chairperson Mariam Wangadya. (Photos by Godfrey Ojore)
By Godfrey Ojore
Journalists @New Vision
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The Human Rights Commission convened in Soroti city on Monday to address 18 human rights-related cases.
Led by chairperson Mariam Wangadya, the commission, comprising three other commissioners — Rt. Col. Stephen Basaliza, Lamex Omara Apitta, and Crispin Kaheru — began the session by delivering four judgments.
One notable case, which had been pending for 19 years, involved Phylis Chepkwemoi, 42, a resident of Kapsiywo, Chepkwasta, in Bukwo district. She accused the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) of killing her husband, Gilbert Cherotwo, in 2004.
On April 4th, 2004, at approximately 2:30 pm, 17 armed UPDF soldiers from Seredet detach beat Cherotwo, allegedly for possessing a gun. The soldiers, armed with large sticks, continued to beat him until he died.
Chepkwemoi sought justice, asserting that her husband was innocent. She argued that the killing was unlawful and violated his rights. After reviewing all the evidence, the commission found that the actions of the soldiers were intentional, unlawful, and a violation of Cherotwo’s right to life.
The commission awarded her sh60 million in compensation, with an annual interest rate of 10% until full payment.
Phylis Chepkwemoi following the ruling of the commission on Monday in Soroti.
The commission’s ruling condemned the soldiers' actions, calling them "intentional, deliberate, sadistic, cruel, oppressive, barbaric, arbitrary, dehumanising, arrogant, wanton, criminal, and impossible to justify." Chepkwemoi, speaking to New Vision, appealed for a swift compensation payout, stating that her children had dropped out of school due to the loss of her husband, the family's primary breadwinner.
In a separate case, David Olobo, 54, a peasant from Lale, Kamuda in Soroti district, received a ruling in his favour after battling a human rights violation case for 12 years.
The commission heard that on April 19, 2013, two policemen from Kamuda Police Post attempted to arrest Olobo in his home. When he refused to submit to arrest without the presence of his LC1 chairman, one of the officers struck him on the arm with the gun butt, breaking it.
Olobo argued that the policemen's actions violated his rights to protection from torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.
The commission agreed, calling their actions "unjustified, sadistic, oppressive, cruel, barbaric, dehumanising, reckless, arrogant, wanton, and criminal," awarding him sh10 million in compensation.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Ojur, a peasant from Osongai, Kapujan in Katakwi district, brought a case against Opus, a UPDF soldier, who beat him on October 8, 2009, over allegations of impregnating Opus's niece.
Ojur claimed that he was falsely accused, as the woman in question was studying in Soroti at the time. The commission ruled that Opus' actions were outside the scope of his duties as a government servant and awarded Ojur sh4 million in compensation.
Ojur expressed disappointment that the compensation did not fully reflect his suffering but stated he would not appeal.
In all cases, the commission emphasised the need for accountability and justice in protecting human rights.