Kikonyogo says people such as Security Minister Jim Muhwezi performed excellently during his assignment as Director General of Security and Intelligence during the early years of National Resistance Movement (NRM) government. If Muhwezi acts with the same gusto as he used to do when he was Director General of Security and Intelligence, Kikonyogo think, he would get Masaka bijambiya murders arrested in a short time.
If government security agencies managed largely to pacify
Somalia, deploy in Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic among other countries, why is it taking long to decisively deal with
bijambiya (machete) murders in Greater Masaka region? Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)
asks.
"It’s not because of incompetence but lack of commitment," FDC
Deputy Spokesperson John Kikonyogo argued during the party's Monday weekly
press conference at the party headquarters.
Kikonyogo says if government
security agencies double their intelligence efforts, the problem of bijambiya
murders can be solved quickly.
The machete -wielding murders have so far killed 28 people in the past six weeks in greater Masaka
region. And given that none of the murderers have been arrested, expect some
suspects, it remains unclear what their motive is.
What is clear is they are
not thieves because they have not been targeting rich people, nor have they been robbing homesteads of their victims. Their target has been vulnerable
people such as elderly living alone who are defenseless when attacked.
Kikonyogo says people such as Security Minister Jim Muhwezi performed excellently during his assignment as Director General of Security and Intelligence during the early years of National Resistance Movement (NRM) government. If Muhwezi acts with the same gusto as he used to do when he was Director General of Security and Intelligence, Kikonyogo think, he would get Masaka bijambiya murders arrested in a short time.
English
//Cue in: “we are appealing…
Cue out:…we live peacefully.”//
Luganda
//Cue in: “naffe kyetwebuza nga…
Cue out:…ezayo emirembe e’Masaka.”//
Though police in Masaka last week said land wrangles could the
cause of current spate of murders in the region, Jim Muhwezi told parliament
that investigations are ongoing and promised to table a report once they are
complete.
Like Kikonyogo, opposition legislators have accused government
of a lackluster response to the problem.
Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga, who is the Nyendo-Mukungwe
legislator, with other opposition legislators visited families of the victims on
Sunday.
If government fails to stop murders in the next one week, Mpuuga warned,
residents will have no other option apart from protecting themselves.
“We are giving government an ultimatum of
another one week to contain these killings lest we form our own defence
committees of youth to protect our people,” he said.
What is government doing?
Starting
this week, police says its Chief Political Commissar Asan Kasingye is camping
in the region to “to galvanise security against ‘bijambia’ criminals in the
areas, offer support in terms of manpower, logistics and strengthen security."
Kasingye is
also expected to “improve
on the readiness to respond to any acts of criminality in the region.”
Minister
for Presidency Milly Babalanda also said last week she will be heading to the
Masaka area to “assess the insecurity being reported there. I can assure
Ugandans that the Gov't will wipe them out without any trouble this
week."
But
Kikonyogo says ministers such as Babalanda aren’t the right personalities
needed in Masaka and the resources they are wasting should be given to security
agencies.
“Some of these ministers, I hear, minister for presidency is going
there, what business do you have to do to?" he asked. "Are you a security officer? The money
you’re going to spend in hotels, give it to intelligence officers on ground!”
Blanshe Musinguzi
Freelancer