Parliament has blacklisted a
number of people and declared them unwanted within its precincts. Those banned
are activists who have previously led protests around parliament and other parts
of Kampala.
Some of the activists who were reportedly
banned from Parliament include Moses Bigirwa, Norman Tumuhimbise, Muhammad
Ssegirinya and Allan Kitonsa.
Bigirwa is known for leading demonstrations
through which painted piglets were dumped near the Parliament gate, together
with Norman Tumuhimbise, the leader of the Alternative and jobless youth’s groups,
while KCCA councillor Muhammad Ssegirinya is known for ferrying red ribbons to
the Parliament gate. These have on several occasions held protests around the
Independence Monument, KCCA and areas around the National Theatre.
Bigirwa, says that his last
attempt to enter parliament were blocked on grounds that there was no guarantee
that he would not cause chaos or disrupt the proceedings of Parliament. He says that on all occasions, he has laboured
to go through the right procedures to enter parliament.
//Cue in; “I tried many…
Cue out…I am inside.”//
Muhammad Segirinya on his side
says he has been trying to petition the Speaker, meet with MPs over issues of
corruption, torture of Ugandans and mistreatment of workers abroad, but on
several occasions, he was reminded that he is mischievous and denied access.
He says just at his attempt to go
attend plenary, in the stranger’s gallery, he is blocked by officers who are
well known to him, some of who act on orders issued through their mobile phones.
//Cue in; “I went there…
Cue out…to the Speaker.”//
According to a security source at
Parliament, the activists were blacklisted for abusing sections of the Parliamentary
Powers and Privileges Act, that bar people from creating any disturbance which
interrupts or is likely to interrupt parliamentary proceedings.
The decision follows a recent incident
in which two members of the Red Top Brigade, a group of youthful activists, jumped
into the Chamber from the stranger’s gallery as MPs debated a ministerial
statement on the Land Information Systems Conference which was held last week
in Kampala.
The Source said that the two red
top brigade members, Dafala Ssenjako and Charles Mutasa Kafeero were equally blacklisted.
“We fear that they will act otherwise even if you allowed them to come into
Parliament, like Segirinya, he cannot be allowed in here, and if you allow him
you will be held responsible,” the source said.
However, the Parliament Head of
Security Annabelle Nyiramahoro dismissed this as baseless saying that in fact,
one of them was in Parliament a week ago after going through the necessary security
checks that every person undergoes.
Alex Otto
Freelancer