Youths in Kiruhura district in western Uganda are preparing to hold a mass protest if the Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura finds his way around the court case that has been opened against him in Kampala.
The youths under the Kiruhura Youth Freedom Fighters (KYF) revealed yesterday that they will be holding a mass demonstration if the police boss is not made to account for the brutality that his force has been meting on non violent Ugandans purported to be opposition supporters.
Led by their chairperson, Robert Kabateraine, the youth activists stressed that in the same manner that junior police officers implicated in the battering of Col Dr Kizza Besigye’s supporters have been charged in courts of law, the police boss should also be compelled to explain this mode of police operation before court.
When the Police force was accosted with outrageous accusations of brutality early this month, Kayihura came out and openly defended the flogging of Dr Besigye’s supporters, saying that this was more effective than teargas and rubber bullets.
“We also need to see Kayihura appear in court. He must seek to be pardoned because his remarks were indefensible,” said Kabatereine. “If not then he should be hounded out of his office.”
The court case preferred against Gen Kayihura before the Makindye Chief Magistrates Court is already being challenged by a city lawyer before the the Constitutional Court.
The Kiruhura youths warned that if police continues in this line of operation, the county could slide back into the post independence anarchy that the country suffered during the reign of Presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin.
The youths also called upon those that have suffered police brutality to come out and use the legal avenues available to bring the police force to account.