‘‘I have been taking rice, cooking oil, sugar, soap and other items to Kitalya and spending over 200,000shs every time I go there. Now I am just wondering, who could be the person taking advantage of a poor woman like me for all the tree times I have delivered all those items?” -Stella Nayiga.
Stella Nayiga, 24 year old wife of one
of the 177 missing persons listed as being under government custody Kassim Migadde 32, is wondering who has been eating the food she has on several times
taken to Kitalya prison.
Nayiga explains that before the government released the list
of the people they have in their custody, she has been taking food and other
items to Kitalya prison. However, the list of the 177 detainees on which
Migadde appeared shows that he is detained in Makindye barracks.
This has left Nayiga wondering whether someone has been
enjoying the food items and other requirements that include sandals, toothpaste
and soap that she delivered to Kitalya for him.
‘‘I have been taking rice, cooking oil, sugar, soap and
other items to Kitalya and spending over 200,000shs every time I go there," Nayiga says. "Now I am just wondering who could be the person taking advantage of a poor woman like
me for all the tree times I have delivered things there!”
Nayiga narrates that her husband Migadde, a boda boda rider
in Kajansi was arrested by people in a drone vehicle on December 21st
2020, from Kajansi in broad daylight.
She says she learnt about the arrest of her husband on
December 23rd 2020, from one of his friends who was present during
the arrest at Kajansi stage.
Nayiga explains that the information she got was indicating
that Migadde was taken to Makindye barracks, but on reaching there on
December 26th 2020, the security personnel on the entrance told her that they did not have any one with the names of Kassim Migadde and she was
referred to Kitalya prison.
She says that after two days she went to Kitalya
prison and on reaching there, she was told that the person she was looking for was
not there.
‘‘When they told me that he was not at Kitalya prison, I
decided to go back to Makindye that very day with my anger but this time with
my husband’s brother," Nayiga said. "This time we were very furious with the security officer
who was on the gate who then admitted that they have my husband though they did
not allow us to see him.’’
Nayiga says that on January 18th 2021, she read
from the newspapers that Uganda People’s Defense Forces- General Court Martial
in Makindye had remanded seven National Unity Platform-NUP supporters to
Kitalya prison for unlawful use of military uniform and her husband Migadde was
among them.
She says that after reading the news article, she had to
wait up to February 1st 2021 when accused were to return to court though
this never happened, according to her.
She says that she gained confidence when the information
she got from the article was confirmed by the security in Kitalya that her
husband was under their custody.
Nayiga says that she tried to reach out to the National
Unity Platform –NUP about the matter .
It was at this point that she learnt
about the presence of Edward Ssebufu aka Eddy Mutwe in the same prison.
She narrates that on the first visit to Kitalya prison she
went with people who had gone to visit Eddy Mutwe and other
NUP members and they had carried with them some food items.
She says that since that time she also started taking food
items to Kitalya basing on the information that the seven NUP supporters that
included her husband were remanded to Kitalya prison.
Nayiga says that though she never got access to see her
husband due to the excuse of COVID-19, she continued to visit the prison using
the little she had.
//cue in;’’Corona yatulemesa okumulaba…
Cue out …kugendayo namasimu’’//
She says that her husband was the breadwinner of the family
of two children who are now with their grandparents.
She says that she is currently renting a small room where
she is doing tailoring, adding that it is from this that she tries to support
her children and the husband in prison.
‘‘Considering what I am still going through since the arrest
of my husband, it is regretable if the food I have been taking to Kitalya
with hope that my husband is there, he has never tested it,’’ Nayiga added.
Kassim Migadde appeared on the list of missing persons that
was released by the internal Affairs minister Jjeje Odongo and is one of the
seven persons that pleaded not guilty on accusations of being found wearing red
berets that are said to be monopoly of defense forces ,following their arrest
during the November 18th 2020 riots.
However, the Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine,
confirms that Kassim Migadde was on January 18th 2021, remanded to
Kitalya prison by the court martial.
Namugabi Eva
Freelancer