The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), a government body mandated to to monitor and advance human rights in Uganda has said it has failed to locate the whereabout of novelist, K.akwenza Rukirabashaija.
Kakwenza was arrested on December 28 by plain-clothed security personnel from his home in Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb.
The UHRC earlier this week said whereas it is barred from investigating Kakwenza’s case since it is currently in court, they would be visiting various detention centres to ascertain his condition.
However, on Friday the government body said they had failed to trace his whereabouts in all the detention centres they had visited.
“The UHRC has over the past days visited various security and detention facilities in and around the country to locate Kakwenza Rukirabashaija. The commission has equally been engaging security agencies and relevant government authorities to ensure justice for Kakwenza prevails. While we continue our efforts to locate Kakwenza, we urge Government to immediately release him or produce and charge him before a court of law,” UHRC said in a tweet.
Established by the 1995 Constitution, the Uganda Human Rights Commission has powers to visit the various detention centres to ascertain the condition of detainees in regards respect to human rights.
The Makindye Chief Magistrates Court earlier this week ordered the immediate release of Kakwenza but the same has not been adhered to.
Kakwenza’s wife recently dragged the Special Forces Commander , the Inspector General of Police, the CID director and the Attorney General to court seeking for orders to have the novelist produced dead or alive.
