Police: Lukwago Lawyers Stage-Managed Police Brutality
Police officers manhandle City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago’s lawyer Abdallah Kiwanuka after he came to serve a court order to Kampala Minister Frank Tumwebaze, who was conducting a KCCA council that later impeached the mayor on Monday. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
Police has accused the lawyers representing embattled Kampala City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago for deliberately acting to discredit the force during the council session convened to impeach the Kampala Lord Mayor.
On the day the council voted Lukwago out of office, the High Court issued an injunction declaring the process null and void.
Lukwago’s lawyers were blocked from delivering the court order to Minister of the Presidency and Kampala Frank Tumwebaze. Tumwebaze was chairing the session.
Abdallah Kiwanuka, one of Lukwago’s lawyers managed to get past the KCCA gate but was brutally arrested and thrown out by heavily armed police officers. Video footage of the arrests were shown on several television stations across the country.
However, police has come out and denied the allegations of assaulting Kiwanuka. Police maintains that Kiwanuka simply acted to elicit public sympathy for Lukwago.
The comment was made by Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander Andrew Felix Kaweesi. Kaweesi claims that Kiwanuka provoked police by attempting to force his way into the hall despite repeated requests to leave City Hall premises.
The commander claims that when police tried to force him out, he threw himself down to the ground to portray that the police had brutally beaten him up. Kaweesi however says police will continue to act professionally when confronted by such people.
General Aronda Nyakairima, the Minister of Internal Affairs, says such acts of violence against police cannot be condoned. Nyakairima says police has always acted professionally and will continue to do so. He however says where there are cases of wrong behaviours by some officers, it will be investigated and culprits punished.
He castigated the act of Kiwanuka and other opposition politicians who always engage the police in running battles and says the force has the capacity to deal with such people.
Several government officials including the Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and Minister for Kampala, Frank Tumwebaze have also condemned the Lukwago team for engaging in street protests. They say government will not relent in its responsibility to protect the residents and their property.
Uganda Law Society (ULS) of which the lawyer Abdallah Kiwanuka is a member have indicated they will sue individual police officers for the rough treatment he received.
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Even what a kid decried on TV is being explained away. ” Today is me, tomorrow’s…..” I look to that future when the boomerang will boomerang on the initiators of bad culture..”
Kaweesi with his childish explanation thinks he can fool the public. Nonsense. They can continue to sugarcoat police brutality as much as they wanted it to be, but the fact is plain and clear that police are 24 hrs willing to brutalize the peace loving citizens especially the opposition members. Even a teenager sees police as a peace destabilizer and not a peace protector as he wants us to believe. In addition, those with mental health challenges like the Amama, Frank, and Aronda do not know a thing – about people’s love for peace and freedom. Talk to them about having money to be swindled, these guys would adore you like flies that do adore the dead’s flesh. Simply a clear sign that mentally they are doom, they cannot think straight anymore.
Are we seeing him throwing himself down or what is happening here???
someone was pulling him
stop fooling the public..who is too blind to see that?these r things we see everyday..they want everyone to be like a sheep….so he threw himself on the floor n tore his shirts as well?huh??
for others it will be exile like sejusa
Felix Andrew Kaweesi!!! Speechless. What do you take Ugandans to be? This is beyond imagination. Ugandans are either brainless or Kaweesi must be talking without his head..if that is possible. Kitalo nyo.
Police please use your eyes to tell the General Public your claims and complaints.Can you desist from telling lies.What is contained in the Photo is the truth then what is the Police saying.
Its police that is acting!
He would have to respect the orders for, he was the Diplomat
Its either the public or Kaweesi who doesnt see clearly.