Abiriga was a uniting factor- Leader of Opposition in Parliament

The Leader of Opposition in Parliament, and Kasese woman Member of Parliament, Winnie Kiiza has labeled slain Arua Municipality Member of Parliament Ibrahim Abiriga, a uniting factor in the multi-party parliament.

Kiiza said that despite Abiriga’s obsession with the NRM party, he was so close to other people and never took political parties as a personal matter. The LoP made the statements while eulogizing Abiriga in parliament, Sunday.

“I remember at the state of the nation address, Abiriga told me, come and we sit here together. I told him, ah your yellow is too much, I will have to first dress you in blue. He told me, my sister let these colors not separate us,” Kiiza said.

She said that Abiriga was hard to annoy, he never took anything personal and he joked with everyone even when you abused him. “For us, he was a uniting factor”.

However, the LoP was quick to lash out at government for their pathetic failure at curbing the current spate of crimes in the country.

“When they started killing religious leaders, government said it was religious, when they started killing women, they said it was illuminati, when they started on children they said it was sacrifice, when kidnaps on women started, they said it is prostitution, they killed Kaweesi and they said we are going to get CCTV cameras, now they have killed their own,” she said.

“We are supposed to ensure that we take care of each other, but the sole responsibility of security lies in the confines of government. Killings have no shame, no colour, no status, that is why they have gone for children, women, religious leaders and now they are on MPs,” she added.

Kiiza called for accountability of the guns in hands of public and the mushrooming private security companies. She said these combined with joblessness are responsible for the current security situation in the country.

She challenged the NRM government to live up to their billing for they have been known as a regime of security strength but it is no longer the case.

The NRM government has been celebrated for security, everyone says they vote because they sleep, but now is hard, we don’t sleep, we don’t know how the day will go or if we will sleep again. The government should take care of security,” she said.

The LoP called upon fellow legislators to avoid acting selfishly because they are only in the world for a short time, so they should use it not to make enemies.

“Abiriga was so keen on the seven years’ extension, little did he know he wont even finish the five. Let us not make enemies because we are just playing our part and we shall all leave,” she said.

Abiriga's body is currently lying in state at parliament, where fellow legislators are eulogising the "yellow man". Abiriga will be buried on Monday at his ancestral home in Arua District.