A group of three concerned citizens have dragged the Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura , and Boda Boda 2010 chairman Abdalla Kitatta to court for beating school children who were going to sing at the police week function in Entebbe recently.
Early this month, dressed in national flag colours, pupils of Winterland Primary School in Kawempe who were travelling to perform at a police function were assaulted by members of the notorious Boda Boda 2010 group at the point where the Northern-by pass joins Busega.
Through their lawyer Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, three people including Jamil Kiragga,Daniel Mayombwe and Evarist Kalungi in their suit filed in the civil division of the High court say that it was illegal and unconstitutional for boda boda 2010 members to stop the school bus and beat the children who were going to perform at a police function.
“The boda boda 2010 men accused the children of wearing red headgear in demonstration against the lifting of the age limit from the Constitution,” Mayombwe writes in his affidavit.
“The group said they had been instructed by the Inspector General of Police Gen.Kale Kayihura not to allow people to demonstrate against the proposal to lift the age limit.”
The group boasted of working for Kayihura adding that they would beat whoever tries to protest against removal of the age limit.
The petitioners however claim that on reaching Busega, there were barricades and a group of over ten boda boda 2010 members ascended onto them for putting on a red colour which they interpreted as protesting against age limit removal.
According to Jamil Kiragga, he was beaten badly that necessitated a surgery after the nerves from his nose to the brain were damaged.
“I can’t stand sunlight due to the damage I got after the beating. I have a lot of pain in my chest,”Kiragga says in his affidavit.
Everist Kalungi,a coordinator for Crime Preventers in Kawempe claims that while trying to explain to the men, they pounced on him prompting teachers to come to his help .
“Whoever came out to help me explain to them (boda boda 2010) was also beaten by the angry,” Kalungi said.
The trio says that the school children are up to now traumatised by the nasty events on the eventful day.
In a rare occasion early this month a police officer, Abraham Bbaale, was seen with teary eyes as he narrated the unprecedented incident that happened as he escorted the school bus to Entebbe.
“There is no justification for beating and injuring someone. Who deployed them there? We shall battle in court with them,” AIP Bbaale, the community liaison officer at Kawempe police station who was escorting the school bus said.
The children were also seen crying inside the bus as their teachers were being beaten.
In all incidents, orchestrators of the violence involving Boda Boda 2010 have not been brought to book.
It is widely known that Abdalla Kitatta, the proprietor of Boda Boda 2010 is close to Kayihura although police continues to distance itself from him.
“It is not true that these attackers were working alongside or under instructions of police,”Kasingye said in a statement recently before adding that the orchestrators would be brought to book.
