The Uganda Human Rights Commission chairperson, Mariam Wangadya, has raised concerns about the possession of firearms by some of her colleagues.
According to Wangadya, whenever she calls for a meeting, some of the members of her commission come armed with pistols.
“Some of my commissioners move around with guns in the office. It’s very hard and scary to deal with such members,” she said.
The UHRC boss further revealed that she has on several occasions been threatened.
Meanwhile, Wangadya has summoned the IGP Martin Okoth Ochola to appear before the commission on May 4, 2023.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Wangadya expressed concern that the police continue to violently disrupt lawful gatherings and peaceful demonstrations convened by elected leaders and other Ugandans.
Wangadya stressed that elected leaders, by virtue of their mandate, must interact with members of the constituencies they represent to ensure meaningful representation.
“Members of the public also have the right to seek the intervention of the elected leaders through lawful and peaceful means. The recent events are therefore not only very unfortunate but also illegal, unconstitutional and must stop,” she said.
Her statements come when 11 female MPs were violently arrested on Thursday while marching to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to deliver their petition. The petition was condemning the continued brutal arrests made by security operatives.
