A section of legislators in parliament on Wednesday inquired from the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah if there were strides being taken to support 2 incarcerated Nup MPs. It was suggested that parliament should intervene in the arrest and detention of the National Unity Platform implicated in the greater Masaka murders. Kawempe North MP Muhammad […]
A section of legislators in parliament on Wednesday inquired from the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah if there were strides being taken to support 2 incarcerated Nup MPs.
It was suggested that parliament should intervene in the arrest and detention of the National Unity Platform implicated in the greater Masaka murders.
Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya and Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana were remanded to Kitalya government prison on Tuesday this week on 3 counts of murder and 1 count of attempted murder.
The duo is being accused of aiding and abetting the gruesome spate of killings by machete-wielding gangs in the Greater Masaka region.
The mp’s argue that their arrest touches on the privileges and protection as MPs which can be retaliated.
On Wednesday during plenary, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Kiira Municipality MP raised a matter of procedure.
He questioned if Parliament is taking any step to help the MPs.
Ssemujju said ‘‘The procedural issue am raising Mr.Speaker, is where extradition is done, this matter is not one of those on which you as a leader of this house to brief MPs and where the employer of these 2 Mp’s is taking any steps to offer them any help they may need.”
However, Speaker Oulanyah said that much as the summons to the MPs was served through his office nothing can be done to help them.
He said Parliament cannot intervene in the matter because the privileges and the protection of MPs are limited.
He says since the process has kicked off in relation to criminal activity their cant be progressing in that direction.
Oulanyah explained’‘Once those processes have started taking place and are moving, we cannot interfere as Parliament, there may be evidence. If there is evidence they will produce if there is no evidence the case will collapse on its own weight. So are there any steps being taken by parliament? the only step would be to update you on the case, which is not part of what the speaker should be doing in this house”
The duo on Tuesday appeared before the Masaka magistrate’s court where they have been slapped charges of 3 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Chief Magistrate Charles Yeteise remanded both MPs to Kitalya until mid-September.
This follows confirmation from the Police mouthpiece, Fred Enanga, which revealed that both Hon Ssewanyana and Hon Ssegirinya designed plans to bring the elderly down locals.
He explained that the MP’s worked underground to recruit youths following secret meetings that happened in Ndeeba, Kampala.
Enanga explained; ”We zeroed on them based on the admissions from the suspects clearly indicating how they were recruited, taken through the intentionally designed plans in a meeting at Ndeeba that was aimed at creating the animosity against elderly persons in the selected districts, the suspects indicated to us how they were promised wealth as a motivating factor and it was under the command of the 2 politicians that the victims were hacked to death.”
The 2 MPs were summoned on Friday last week by Commissioner of Police Paul Katto Tumuhimbise on behalf of Criminal Investigations Director AIGP Grace Akullo.
They appeared before the detective SSP Moses Taremwa at Masaka police station on Monday to record their statements amidst beefed-up security.
On Tuesday they returned to the same police post only to be arrested and produced in court.
