Members of Parliament have expressed their disappointment in the Police for arresting and detaining individuals without clear charges.
The MPs’ reactions followed a statement by the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, David Muhoozi on boxer Julius Ssekitoleko, his disappearance and subsequent deportation from Japan.
“It does not make sense for the police and other security agencies to arrest people without clear charges,” Asuman Basalirwa the Bugiri Municipality Mp told Parliament.
Ssekitoleko who had gone missing in Japan at the beginning of the 2020 Olympics was arrested immediately after landing at Entebbe airport on 23rd July 2021. His arrest followed his deportation from Japan after he was found in Mie Prefecture by Japanese authorities.
After his arrest, a case was opened and investigations commenced. The police file would later be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who concluded that the Ssekitoleko had not committed any offense known under the laws of Uganda.
The government of Uganda insists that Ssekitoleko’s behavior portrayed a very bad image of Uganda.
“Ssekitoleko's act of disappearing from the Hotel where he had
been accommodated during the time of The Games to an unknown place in a foreign country like Japan, under the excuse that he was looking for a job, did not only create panic among the Ugandan officials but also portrayed a very bad image of our
country,” Minister Muhoozi told parliament.
However, MPs believe that the government and security forces did not handle the matter well.
“Government should have made sure that Julius Ssekitoleko gets psychosocial support rather than arresting him,” Hon John Baptist Nambeshe the Manjiya County MP says.
A fundraiser has been initiated in the parliament by Hon Sarah Opendi, to help support Julius Ssekitoleko’s family.
Members of Parliament have expressed their disappointment in the Police for arresting and detaining individuals without clear charges.
The MPs’ reactions followed a statement by the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, David Muhoozi on boxer Julius Ssekitoleko, his disappearance and subsequent deportation from Japan.
“It does not make sense for the police and other security agencies to arrest people without clear charges,” Asuman Basalirwa the Bugiri Municipality Mp told Parliament.
Ssekitoleko who had gone missing in Japan at the beginning of the 2020 Olympics was arrested immediately after landing at Entebbe airport on 23rd July 2021. His arrest followed his deportation from Japan after he was found in Mie Prefecture by Japanese authorities.
After his arrest, a case was opened and investigations commenced. The police file would later be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who concluded that the Ssekitoleko had not committed any offense known under the laws of Uganda.
The government of Uganda insists that Ssekitoleko’s behavior portrayed a very bad image of Uganda.
“Ssekitoleko's act of disappearing from the Hotel where he had
been accommodated during the time of The Games to an unknown place in a foreign country like Japan, under the excuse that he was looking for a job, did not only create panic among the Ugandan officials but also portrayed a very bad image of our
country,” Minister Muhoozi told parliament.
However, MPs believe that the government and security forces did not handle the matter well.
“Government should have made sure that Julius Ssekitoleko gets psychosocial support rather than arresting him,” Hon John Baptist Nambeshe the Manjiya County MP says.
A fundraiser has been initiated in the parliament by Hon Sarah Opendi, to help support Julius Ssekitoleko’s family.