‘Keep Security Out Of Politics’

Mar 07, 2002

Government functionaries and security personnel should be banned from partisan politics, the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has recommended.

By Joyce NamutebiGovernment functionaries and security personnel should be banned from partisan politics, the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has recommended.“Government functionaries and security personnel should not be permitted to participate in partisan politics because it leads to bias, thus affecting the fairness of elections,” the commission said.Launching the 2000-2001 annual report at Hotel Equatoria yesterday, the chairperson, Mrs Margaret Sekaggya, and commissioner Constantine Karusoke, said there were no “safe houses” in the country.“Security agencies now take people to Police cells. If anybody knows about ‘safe houses’, raise the issue with us,” Sekaggya said.Earlier, she presented the 87-page report to the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi, in which UHRC raised the Police’s concern about political and military interference in their work.Sekaggya said that during elections, security agencies were involved in Police work under the pretex that the Police were unable to cope with the work.It was also claimed that some security officials were members of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Team.“Internal security should be the work of the Police,” she said. In its fourth report to Parliament, UHRC said the Chieftainacy of Military Intelligence (CMI) continued to detain suspects in Police stations on grounds of terrorism or treason, contrary to the law. The report reveals gross brutality and abuse of rights of inmates in some of Uganda’s prisons. It also points out inadequate medical attention and the delay in administration of justice, leading to prison congestion.The commission said inmates who attempted to escape from lawful custody were tortured.It recommended that the number of judges be increased. On elections, the commission said the maximum amount of money candidates should be during elections should be fixed by law as money was election major.Ends

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