Th Internal affairs minister Kirunda Kivejinja had told Parliament that the stick-wielding goons that have become the face of violence at any demonstration in Uganda will be prosecuted.
This group is unknown to the Police. The Police want to find out who they are. Once identified, criminal charges will be brought against them.
These men first appeared on the scene on April 17, 2007 during a political demonstration against the give-away of part of Mabira forest for sugarcane growing. They again appeared last week at an opposition demonstration. Here is the Youtube link to the recent saga.
The Minister is now telling Ugandans that these men are unknown to the government that runs a country.
Why don’t they appear when other groups are matching through town? Why are they synomous with political opposition demonstrations? A responsible government that is concerned about the safety of citizens whether they are dissenting or not must be in position to know any author of violence. If it can take three years for government to figure out who these goons are what does this tell us about out safety?
Well that’s assuming that what the minister’s word is true but i am inclined to to think that these kiboko squad men are part of state terror that seems to take any form whenever members of the opposition come up. In an earlier post i quoted an investigation by the New Vision newspaper that gave details of where these men are from and who’s behind them.
The major question should be why would a government with enough forces to handle a political demonstration in Kampala resort to the ugliest tactics of all at times that are not necessarily of highest resistance?
Just like many inquiries that we have seen in the past we will see what Kivejinja tells Ugandans when these men turn up again. Such illegitimate actors that government has allowed to freely commit crimes might make demonstrations in Uganda more violent as demonstrators in future might look for ways to defend themselves. God knows what would happen with the excessive use of force that the both these goons and our uniformed police resort in times of demonstrations.
Rosebell Kagumire 