Yesterday marked five years since security agencies of the Police and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) brutally cracked down on Ugandans who were protesting the arrest of former presidential candidate and National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
On November 18, 2020, the Joint Security Task Force in Busoga North arrested Bobi Wine and Pastor Andrew Muwanguzi ahead of their rally at Ssaza Grounds in Luuka Town Council, Luuka District.
According to then–Police Spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) Fred Enanga, the two were arrested for violating Electoral Commission and Ministry of Health guidelines.
The violence, which unfolded over November 18 and 19 in Kampala and other towns, resulted in at least 54 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and numerous arrests.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni acknowledged that 54 people were killed during the crackdown and defended the use of live ammunition, stating that security forces were responding to rioters. He later claimed that the riots were externally funded to destabilize Uganda. Museveni directed security agencies to publicize the report on the riots and to prosecute any security personnel implicated in wrongdoing.
While speaking during the commemoration of International Labour Day in May 2021 at Kololo Independence Grounds, Museveni condemned the reckless shootings and promised government compensation for victims. He, however, said that only 22 of the victims would be compensated, while the remaining 32 were, according to him, “rioters.”
“Everybody knows that the Government I lead cannot condone reckless shooting of people. When it happens, we act. I have all the files of the people that were shot on November 18th and 19th. I am following them,” Museveni said during the Labour Day event.
He assured Ugandans that the government does not condone impunity, even though soldiers may sometimes act without proper briefing.
Several entities and organizations have since condemned the November 2020 shootings and called for an independent committee to investigate the killings and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.
Party leaders and relatives of those who lost their lives have continued to demand justice and government compensation.
“No one can say, ‘kill my person and give me money.’ But compensation is critical. President Museveni promised that it would be done. To date, it has not been done.Justice must be served and those responsible for the deaths must be brought to book,” NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said.
“The issue is not just money. Families have children to raise and responsibilities to meet. But seeing those who committed these human rights violations brought to book none of that has happened.”Ssenyonyi
Other party leaders criticized the government for failing to account for the deaths or punish those involved in the shootings.
NUP treasurer Benjamin Katana said no single soldier has been punished for killing unarmed citizens.
Shamim Nabasa, aspiring Woman Councillor for Kawempe, emphasized that there is ample evidence:
“So many things have been let go, but this is one of the things that must be addressed. There were cameras, there is evidence, and action can be taken. We demand that these people are brought to justice and that justice is served for ordinary Ugandans.”she said.
Hajjara Nakitto, mother of 15-year-old Amos Ssegawa, is seeking justice and Shs 500 million in compensation from the government after her son was killed during the Kampala riots on November 18, 2020.
She stated that her son’s body was exhumed on the orders of security agencies to confirm whether he had died from gunshot wounds. The post-mortem confirmed this, and the body was later reburied. However, since then, the family has not received justice.
