PICTURES: #Uganda's "serial political rapist munches" the legislature - #Museveni

Uganda's military dictator, Museveni has this week sent his security forces to lay siege on the parliament in his desperate effort to lift the constitutional age limit. The Uganda Constitution stipulates that the President's maximum age limit shall be 75 and Museveni now claims to be 73. He fears that at the time of the next general election in 2021, he will not be eligible to stand if the age limit is not lifted. In 2005, he fraudulently scrapped the two-five-year term limit and extended his reign. The deployment of security forces and heavy military equipment around the parliamentary building as parliament was scheduled to debate the lifting of age limit created serious tension that prompted parliament to cancel its proceedings and adjourn.

In July 2016, the rogue regime organised goons who attacked parliament and disrupted its business. They were protesting against the summoning of the Police chief by the parliamentary committee on Defence and Internal Affairs over rampant torture of innocent citizens. The police chief snubbed the committee summons and the following day he sent another squad of goons to attack the Chief Magistrate's Court at Makindye where he was also required to appear over torture of citizens. He snubbed the court summons and instead the goons over the court threatening to lynch the Advocates who had taken refuge in the Magistrate's chambers.  The police commended the goons for having complied with the draconian Public Order Management Act (POMA) by notifying and obtaining police guidance and security during the demonstration. The Chief Justice warned the organisers of such goons to stop while the Uganda Law Society promised to compile a list of torturers into a book of shame.  This website ran an analysis of the incident under the title; MUSEVENI RAIDS COURT AGAIN - FROM BLACK MAMBAS TO KIFEESI, on 16th August 2016.

In November 2005, Museveni deployed Military Intelligence hooded commandos armed with Israel-made Macro Garill machine guns who raided the High Court to reverse a court order. They terrorised judicial officers before rearresting the 14 treason suspects whom court had just granted bail. The suspects were instead detained in Safe Houses and arraigned before the Military Court Martial. In March 2007, Museveni again deployed 50 plain clothed security operatives who raided the High Court to rearrest five suspects who had just been granted bail. The suspects who had been shielded by the Judges were eventually kidnapped at 8.30 p.m. as the Judges were leaving.   During the scuffle, Advocate Kiyemba Mutale was fatally injured. The suspects were detained in upcountry stations in Bushenyi and Arua. The entire judiciary and Advocates went on a one week strike in protest. The then Minister of Internal Affairs, Ruhakana Rugunda described the strike as an "unwarranted decision" before promising that government was investigating the matter and that appropriate action was to be taken. That was the end of the story and instead the security personnel have continued to arbitrarily interfere with judicial processes.

The above incidents flagged off a series of unwarranted incidents of security forces wantonly raiding offices of civil society organisations (CSOs), media houses, opposition party offices and institutions of traditional leaders. Repeated covert and overt raids have left immense physical and psychological damage. In the last three years, over 25 incidents of break-ins into offices of human rights and anti corruption NGOs have gone unexplained. The attackers target laptop and desktop computers, office mobile phones, office documents, cameras, hard drives, cameras etc. In some instances, guards have been killed. Even where the security cameras clearly captured the images of the attackers, still the police have never come up with any positive finding. Instead, yesterday they overtly took siege and ransacked two more CSOs, Action Aid and GLCSS whom they accuse of treason.

The "terrorism hub" mosques have not been spared. On December 27th, 2016, security forces raided Nakasero Mosque in the middle of the night before ransacking and carrying away the usual items. Two days earlier they had raided Kiwatule Mosque for the same purpose. The police chief apologized before blaming poor intelligence for the incidents. The opposition party headquarters of FDC and UPC have been repeatedly raided, besieged and ransacked.

In November 2016, Museveni sent security forces to attack the Bakonjo traditional leaders’ palace in Kasese. Over one hundred people were killed before setting the palace on fire and brutally arresting the king and hundreds of his subjects.

Now that Museveni is done with humiliatingly "raping" the citizens, the Judiciary, the CSOs, the Media Houses, traditional institutions, mosques, and most recently the legislature, the church is next. The fact that its leaders have opted to keep silent, is not a guarantee of their safety. The "serial political rapist" is operating under the influence of political perversion.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND DEFIANCE IS THE WAY TO GO.