Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Katikkiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga has condemned the torture that was subjected to the Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament Francis Zaake after he was allegedly found distributing food in disregard of Presidential directives.
After the order locking down the country as a way of limiting the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Members of Parliament received an unprecedented number of phone calls and visits to their homes by constituents who could no longer feed themselves.
But the President’s directive was that whoever needed to help the people, should do so through the National COVID-19 Task Force. This is what allegedly Zaake violated leading to his arrest and detention. By the time, he appeared in court over a week later, Zaake had torture marks all over his body. He could neither see because of pepper allegedly sprayed in his eyes.
However when put to task to explain what happened to the youthful legislator, Mario Obiga Kania, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs told parliament that Zaake’s torture marks were self-inflicted.
On Monday 11th, May 2020 while speaking from his home in Lweza in his annual State of the Kingdom address, Mayiga said that not even a child can believe the government said the story. He added that he was most concerned about the tribal undertones that Zaake describes on his social media post about what happened to him.
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“They told me that we are always there lying to ourselves that a Muganda can lead Uganda and told me that this country has its owners. This was my fourth time being tortured from the time I joined Parliament, but I had never heard so much hate, so much bitterness and so much tribalism,” Zaake narrated.
He added that he was very surprised that some of the people the country pays to protect them chose to view him not as a Ugandan but as a troublesome Muganda who deserved to be punished.
Mayiga says those behind such actions must be investigated and punitive action taken against them because if not, the country risks descending into chaos like it has in the past because of tribalism.
On May 12th, will mark seven years ever since the Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II appointed Mayiga as the Katikkiro to replace Engineer John Baptist Walusimbi in 2013.
