Lawyers fault police for picking suspects' children

PIC:Uganda Cathollic lawyers officials Jude Mbabali  talks while Fredrick Semwanga (right) and Muslim lawyers from Muslim Centre for Justice and Law Jaffer Senganda (second left) , Hadija Nansubuga (left) Umaru Nyanzi (third right) and (second right) Musa Ntambi during a press conference at Pope OPaul Memorial in Kampala, May.10, 2017

A section of city lawyers have condemned the manner in which 12 children 'belonging' to one Abdu Rashid Mbaziira, were picked from their home by security operatives, saying it was a violation of their human rights.

Mbaziira is a suspect in the murder of Police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi.

The lawyers under the Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society (UCLS) and Muslim Centre for Justice and Law (MCJL) now want police to either apologise or face the law.

"Nobody is allowed to take away a child from their parents or from his or her home unless they have a court order," Jude Mbabali, the UCLS president said at a press briefing at Pope Paul VI Memorial Hotel in Lubaga on Wednesday.

Jaffer Senganda who heads MCJL said one of the jurisdictions that police gave for taking these children was that their parents were arrested and therefore could not remain at home alone.

"We are all aware that there are many child-headed families in this country. Should police therefore go ahead and arrest all these children whose parents passed on and are being looked after by their siblings? Haven't many of us gone through the hands of foster parents?" Senganda wondered.

 When contacted to ascertain the lawyers' claims Asan Kasingye the Uganda Police Spokesperson said, "I am not running away from responsibility but I cannot know what happens in each police station. That case was handled by the Central Police Station so contact them."