Human Rights Committee receives lukewarm reception in Gulu

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Human Rights Committee of Parliament on Friday received a lukewarm reception in Gulu city.

The committee led by chairperson Taaka Agnes was set up last month to probe rights violations during the general elections. They are supposed to interact with all presidential candidates, victims of violence and stakeholders.

In Gulu, the meeting that was supposed to begin at 8:30 am instead started three hours late due to the absence of the key invited people. In the hall, there were journalists and security personnel instead of political party leaders, former contestants who were supposed to include losers and winners.

Monica Amoding, a member of the committee and Woman MP for Kumi district raised concern about the composition of the meeting. She said that they may be consulting the wrong people.

Angeline Osegge, the Soroti district Woman MP raised a similar concern questioning the composition of the audience.

Benson Ongom, an election monitor for the Women’s Situation Room told members of the committee that the security forces brutalized journalists who covered the campaign trail of opposition NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi and Forum for Democratic Change – FDC flag bearer Patrick Amuriat.

Authur Owor, the Director of African Research Centre who participated in the elections as an observer recalled that there were incidences of selective justice in enforcement of COVID-19 directives and the use of street children by rival politicians to orchestrate violence citing the break-in of NUP offices in Gulu before the elections.

However, the Gulu Resident District Commissioner Stephen Odong Latek told the committee that the entire electoral period was relatively peaceful without significant incidences of gross human rights violations being reported.

Christopher Atekere, the Gulu LC V chairperson elect on the NRM party ticket said that the concluded elections were very peaceful. He added that different political contestants exhibited a high level of cooperation and respect for each other.

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