Hope fades for relatives of missing persons in Kyotera

📌 GOVT LIST OF ‘MISSING PERSONS’
➡ TOTAL 177
➡ 168 remanded at Makindye
➡ 2 Referred to Jinja Rd Police station
➡ 6 already released on bond
➡ 1 arraigned before UDC
✳ 43 arrested for rioting
✳ 156 possession of military stores
✳ 17 meeting to plan violence
✳ 6 already released on bond

Kyotera, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Families in Kyotera district have lost hope after their missing relatives were not on the government’s list.

On Thursday last week, the Minister of Internal Affairs General Jeje Odongo tabled before parliament a list of 177 missing Ugandans who he said were in detention facilities in the different parts of the country.

At least sixteen people who were known opposition supporters and campaign agents mainly from the sub-county of Kasaali and Kyotera town council went missing before and after the general elections after they were arrested by security personnel.

Some of the missing persons include John Kiwanuka, Vincent Muwonge Lubega, Javiira Luyobya, Shafik Nyombi, Andrew Kankinda, Emmanuel Ngobya, Ronald Muwonge, Farouk Mukapa, Mahad Mukasa Barak Kyaze and Ronald Kawuki.

The others are Fahad Kasinga, Sulait Kyambadde, Ivan Kawenja, Emmanuel Ssegirinya, Frank Lusembo and Derrick Ssebugenye, who went missing on 8th January this year after they were picked from their respective homes.

However, after a long futile search for the missing persons from the different security detention centers, some relatives have lost hope.

Phiona Namulindwa, one of the affected relatives says they have several times tried to find her missing son all in vain. She explains that her son was picked in the wee hours of January 8 together with his other three colleagues who all failed to return.

Namulindwa says that their hopes further faded after the names didn’t appear on the government’s list.

Patricia Nabikindu whose elder brother is also missing says that the family is traumatized after failing to find their relative for over a month now. She says that they are currently struggling to cope up with the emotional distress.

She says that they have turned to the leadership of the National Unity Platform-NUP party demanding that they dedicate all the attention to the search for missing persons.

Charles Kirumira, the greater Masaka NUP regional coordinator asked the relatives to remain calm, saying that the party leadership is doing everything possible to secure the victims from detention.

Alexander Lule, a member of a team of NUP lawyers in Masaka reveals that the party leadership has already instructed them to file before courts for a writ of habeas corpus compelling the government to produce all the missing persons.

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URN