Police raid Edith Byanyima’s home; Recover 24 red cloths

Police detectives on Wednesday spent over five hours at the home of Edith Byanyima in Muyenga, a Kampala suburb while carrying out a search.

Edith is the sister to Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director for Oxfam International.

On Wednesday morning, two police patrol vehicles full of armed men surrounded Byanyima’s home in Muyenga A before forcing themselves into the house for a search.

According to Byanyima, came in the wee hours of Wednesday and searched her home.

“I had not even got out of bed when they arrived,” Edith, who was hesitant to comment on the matter told the Nile Post.

Asked what the officers were looking for, she insisted she was not aware of what had forced them search her home.

“I would rather not comment for fear of escalating the matter. We should give them time to do their investigations.”

According to the village LC one chairman, Fredrick Otebat, he was called by police officers and on arriving, the search had already been completed.

“They only told me to sign on the search certificate,” he said.

Illegal search

However, according to three lawyers representing Edith, including Erias Lukwago, Francis Bwengye and Eva Nabitaka, the search was an illegal one since the police officers didn’t come with a search warrant.

“By the time I came, they had finished the search but didn’t have a search warrant,”Nabitaka said.

Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago said the police officers never followed the right procedures while carrying out the search.

“All they did was illegal because the legal team was not around as the search was being done,”Lukwago added.

“We were all shocked, I was also called in as a lawyer. We have questions like you do and the best person to answer them is police,” Francis Bwengye said.

Red cloths recovered

Following several hours of searching the entire house, police only recovered 24 red pieces of cloth from Edith Byanyima’s home.

According to a search certificate that the Nile Post managed to see, police led by Detective Assistant Superintendent of Police Godfrey Kutesa from Kabalagala police station carried a search at Byanyima’s home and recovered 24 pieces of red clothes (Nytil materials).

“The owner (Byanyima) of the residence declined to sign on the search certificate,” reads in part the police search certificate.

Lukwago said the 24 red clothes found at the home are used for weaving by Edith Byanyima and not any other purpose.

“They (police) wanted her to record a statement for being found with illicit material but she refused because the cloths are not illegal. She uses them for weaving,” he said.

“It was an act of cowardice that they raided the home.”

The area chairman said his residence has girls she teaches how to weave and that could be the reason for having red cloths.

“But why did they single out red cloths yet she has many of them including ones in yellow and green colours,”Otebat wondered.

Police defends raid

When contacted, Kampala Metropolitan Area Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said the raid followed intelligence information of a crime that was about to be committed  and had to prevent it.

“As our duty to detect and prevent crime, we raided the home. We followed the right procedures and searched her home,”Owoyesigyire said.

Asked on the kind of crime that was going to be committed, the police mouthpiece said investigations are still ongoing but noted the red materials recovered from the home were set to be used in inciting violence in the city.

“Statements are being taken and we are still looking into the charges to prefer against her but we believe the red materials recovered would be used to incite violence.”