Following the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja’s statement on the continued abduction, and illegal detention by security agencies in Uganda, the office of the leader of opposition has condemned the manner of brutality and lawlessness employed by security.

The shadow cabinet ministers led by Hon. Atkins Katushabe- Bukonjo West, Odur Jonathan -Erute South and Kiwanuka Abdullah -Mukono North say government must account for the lives that are being lost in extra judicial killings and arbitrary arrests.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament RT. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa on Thursday this week differed the leader of government business and Prime Minister of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja’s statement on the continued arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions.

It followed the leader of opposition Hon. Mathias Mpuuga’s demand that government sticks to the agreed position of a joint statement and accounting for the extra judicial murders in the country.

The fresh demands come in the wake of the news of the death of a 75 year old Costa Muhonja, a resident of Bwera Kasese who was kidnapped by security operatives, detained in Kireka and later died and the body was dumped at the KCCA Mortuary on January 19.  The body was later disposed off in the KCCA cemetery.

Opposition MPs Hon. Atkins Katushabe- Bukonjo West, Odur Jonathan -Erute South and Kiwanuka Abdullah -Mukono North has tasked government to put to an end the rampant disappearances and extra judicial murders in the country.

The MPs demand for the body to be exhumed and both postmortem and DNA examinations are carried out to ascertain the cause of death.

According to the MPs, the alleged torture injuries in detention could have led to Mr. Muhonja’s death. Before his death, he had been illegally detained in Masaka and Sembabule, before being brought to the Special Investigations Division in Kireka.

The MPs also say the continued trial of civilians in the court martial is illegal and unconstitutional.

In 2021, the Constitutional Court in a land mark judgment ruled that trying civilians in military courts is unconstitutional.

In a majority decision of three to two, the justices held that under the 1995 Constitution, trying civilians is the role of civilian courts of judicature.

The court’s ruling was born out of the 2016 petition by the then Nakawa MP Michael Kabaziguruka challenging his trial in the General Court Martial.