Katikkiro Mayiga appeals to government on NUP

The Opposition MPs in question are Allan Aloysius Ssewanyana, commonly known as ‘Omusajja wa Bwino’, the elected Member of Parliament for Makindye Division West and a representative for the National Unity Platform (NUP). And Muhammad Ssegirinya, fondly known as “Mr. Updates”, who is the Member of Parliament representing Kawempe North and is also of the same party, NUP. 

The two were arrested on September 8, 2021 on charges of murder and terrorism. 

Katikkiro Mayiga made these remarks, sure to stir the pot with the authorities, during Christmas celebrations at Kitovu Cathedral in Masaka City where he was joined by several other notables including the Leader of Opposition and Masaka Municipality MP, Mathias Mpuuga.

The Katikkiro, who consoled the people of Greater Masaka over the loss of their loved ones during the machete attacks, reserved his most scorching criticism for the police. 

Castigating the police, he said the Force arrests people dressed in red instead of focusing on arresting hardcopy criminals wreaking havoc in the area.

“We ask the police to intensify their efforts and arrest thieves and all the other criminals. We don’t want police to only arrest those dressed in red. If there are those dressed in red, police respond as quickly as possible but we want police to arrest the criminals who have been terrorising the people to ensure that Buganda is back on top,” he said.

The “dressed in red” allusion refers to the colours of the Opposition party NUP, led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu also known as Bobi Wine. 

Mr. Kyagulanyi is the former Member of Parliament for Kyadondo County East constituency and was President Museveni’s main challenger in the January presidential elections. 

Katikkiro Mayiga pressed government to reveal the true cause of the killings in the Greater Masaka Region, which saw innocents such as 85-year-old Vincent Lusindi, a resident of Mpumudde village, Lyakibirizi parish in Kyazanga sub county, Lwengo district, hacked to death. 

He called on the police to use forensic evidence, without rushing to judgement, in order to unearth who was behind these grisly killings. 

“We want to know the truth and the motive of the machete -wielding men who have been murdering people since 2017 in various districts. There are those who have been arrested but also we don’t know much regarding their issues,” he said.

The two legislators he appealed on behalf of are still in prison.

Hon. Mpuuga was more direct on the subject of who he thought could be capable and he called on all Ugandans citizens to close ranks in order to liberate the country from the supposed yoke of President Museveni’s rule. 

“We need to find the solution to our problems because there are a lot of things that are going on. We need to liberate this country,” he declared.