'Makerere Murder Not Political'

By John Eremu THE Makerere University guild has warned presidential candidates against politicising the recent killing of a student there. Guild president Asuman Basalirwa told journalists yesterday that the Police should investigate claims by Col Kizza Besigye and President Museveni's camps that the murdered student, Alex Adigaremo, was their supporter. Basalirwa said the Friday demonstration that followed the killing was spontaneous. "The demonstration had nothing to do with politics. The death of this student had nothing to do with the Museveni - Besigye phenomenon. Whichever camp is claiming the student should be investigated by the Police. "As far as we are concerned, we are not party to any political statements perpetuated by Museveni or Besigye's camps. Killings have been going on at Makerere even before this phenomenon," he added. Adigaremo, 20, a first-year student of education, was gunned down by unknown assailants on Friday morning, sparking off a riot and battles between the students and the Police. The press conference at the guild offices was attended by guild ministers Francis Kidega, Moses Higenyi, the administrative secretary of the Uganda National Students' Association, Geoffrey Okiswa, and presidential candidate Aggrey Awori's youth chief Otto Odonga. The student leaders called for a unilateral release of all the students arrested and a speedy investigation into the killing. The students said secret service agents had listed Basalirwa and many other students for arrest over the riot. But they warned that such arrests would create chaos. Ends