Civil society activists to camp at police over office break-in

Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | The Human Rights Awareness and Promotion forum (HRAPF), A Civil Society Organization that provides legal support and representation to marginalized people has threatened to shift its operations to the Old Kampala Police station citing security concerns.

The executive director Adrian Jjuuko said that effective Monday February 22, 2018 the organization would camp at the police station whose jurisdiction includes Plot 390, Professor Apolo Nsibambi Road, where their offices are located until police assures them of security.

This follows an incident Thursday night where unknown thugs broke into their offices in Namirembe, Kampala.

The thugs assaulted and incapacitated two security guards with iron bars and batons leaving them in critical condition and soaked in a pool of blood.

According to the organization’s deputy executive director, Anthony Mutimba, the thugs accessed the office using the perimeter and disabled the power and security systems.

“Though nothing was stolen the two security guards were critically injured and are currently hospitalized at St. Francis Nsambya Hospital,” said Mutimba

Addressing a press conference Friday afternoon, the forum’s executive director Adrian Jjuuko said this is the second break-in less than two years with the first one in 2016 claiming the life of a security guard.

“This is the second such attack that HRAPF has suffered. The first attack took place on the 22nd of May 2016 wherein a security guard, Mr. Emmanuel Arituha, was brutally murdered,” said Jjuuko.

Then the assailants ransacked the offices of the director and the deputy director, and stole documents and a television screen. The assailants did not take computers, laptops and other electronic gadgets.

Jjuuko said that though the particular incident was thoroughly investigated by the Uganda Police Force, who came to the conclusion that it was a random act of vandalism and burglary, no arrests were made despite the information that was provided including CCTV footage of the assailants’ faces.

“These attacks come against the backdrop of a narrowing civic space and increasing incidents of break-ins at civil society organizations that have not been satisfactorily investigated or resolved,” said Jjuuko.

For her part, the executive director of Legal Aid Service Providers Network (LASPNET), Sylvia Namubiru Mukasa on behalf of other human rights defenders said the break-ins appear to form part of a longer term, systemic, and worsening pattern of attacks on Ugandan civil society organizations targeting their legitimate and valuable work.

“The trend of break-ins is worrying given the deteriorating security in the country. Because no single incident has been conclusively investigated and no single person has been apprehended like they parade others,” said Namubiru.

On June 13, 2016, 31 local and international organizations petitioned Gen Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police, about the way the police had handled the wave of break-ins at different offices of civil society organizations across the country.

Organizations such as the Uganda Land Alliance, the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, the Legal Aid Service Providers Network, Akina Mama Wa Africa and Anti-Corruption to mention but a few have suffered break-ins in similar fashion.

Namubiru noted that despite timely reports to the police on all occasions, investigations have been unsatisfactory and the follow up is insufficient.