The former Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura has responded to the sanctions issued by the United Kingdom government against him over alleged human rights violations.
The UK government slapped sanctions on the former police chief in which he will no longer be allowed to enter into UK, channel money through UK banks and profiting from their economy.
“While Kayihura was in charge, he oversaw multiple units responsible for human rights violations including torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment,” the statement by the UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly read in part.
However, in response to the sanctions, the former police chief through his lawyers of Kampala Associated Advocates dismissed the allegations against him as unfounded.
The allegations have no foundation both in facts and law. These sanction by the UK are by the US. Nothing new. It is recycling of old rubbish,” Jet Tumwebaze, a partner at Kampala Associated Advocates said on a statement on behalf of the former police chief.
The lawyers explained that when the allegations came, they had a meeting with former United States Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac in which the former IGP pointed to them that the evidence they based on was all concoction.
“We were later invited by the US at the embassy. We wanted to know the specifics. When we were in the meeting, they didn’t come up with specifics. The few they presented, we debunked. The allegations centred on suspects in the terrorism case. Each of those allegations were fully investigated and each has a file. They promised to get back to us. They didn’t. At that time, the US didn’t agree with the UK about the sanctions. M5, a UK security agency, told them (US) that the allegations were false, because they (US and UK agents) both came here and interacted with the suspects.”
“In fact, after the success of the case, they awarded Gen Kale an award as one of the best police officers in Africa.
It is a surprise that they sanctioned him for the case they granted him an award.”
The lawyers said the biggest problem that Gen Kayihura has highlighted to the US was doing their “emperoristic work” using human rights allegations as a cover “while violating Gen Kale’s rights.”
“What does your children and wife have to do with your work? If you have a case, bring it and give the accused the right to be heard. Over time, some sober people get out of office and those doing politics come in. They are regurgitating the same old allegations.”
In its 2019 sanctions, the US government accused Gen Kayihura of having directly supervised torture of detained suspects at the Police Special investigations facility in Jinja.
“As the IGP for the UPF, Kayihura led individuals from the UPF’s Flying Squad Unit, which has engaged in the inhumane treatment of detainees at the Nalufenya Special Investigations Center (NSIC). Flying Squad Unit members reportedly used sticks and rifle butts to abuse NSIC detainees, and officers at NSIC are accused of having beaten one of the detainees with blunt instruments to the point that he lost consciousness. Detainees also reported that after being subjected to the abuse they were offered significant sums of money if they confessed to their involvement in a crime,” the US government said.
However, Kayihura’s lawyers have against blasted the claims that they say have been carried forward by the UK government to demonise the former police chief.
” People in uniform deserve protection. If there are two overzealous officers, they should be disciplined. Gen Kale funded the legal department in the police more than and he even recruited more lawyers to investigate such cases. There could be operational challenges one or two incidents, but they were investigated and many officers were prosecuted in civil courts or police disciplinary courts.”
The lawyers also blasted what they termed as the condensing attitude of the Western governments.
“They had rejected the US findings. We have been having these engagements but off the media. It is only because of this incidents that we have opened up. We shall do more okulimbulula as President Museveni calls it. As to whether they will use the information, or not, it is another matter.”
