One man’s nightmare under police interrogation

He was arrested at dawn, interrogated, charged with promoting sectarianism and committed to prison. Twenty four hours later, he was released with a stern warning over his head. Saturday Monitor’s Gerald Bareebe brings you the story of FDC’s deputy electoral commissioner Michael Kabaziguruka.

On Sunday April 3, I went to Nakivubo Stadium to attend the victory celebrations of the Lord mayor-elect Erias Lukwago. I arrived at the venue at about 3pm and stayed there until 7:30pm. At about 8:30pm, I decided to go home. As I approached the Post Office building on Kampala Road on my way home to Luzira, I received a phone call from someone who identified himself as Richard.

He told me he wanted to engage in the demonstration I was planning the next day. I told him that I did not know what he was talking about. I also explained to him that I was busy and requested him to call me the next day. He told me he had organised about 50 university students and thus wanted to know where we shall begin the protest from so that they can join us. I advised him to call me the next day. I told him I don’t want to discuss the issue.

He then said: “Mr Micheal, this is Norman Musinga, the DPC Kampala Central Police. I have information that you are the mastermind of the demonstration that will happen in this town tomorrow [Monday].”
He said he was calling to warn me about these demonstrations. That police are well equipped to handle trouble-causers like me. His advice to me was that I should go home and write my will before I go out the next day. He then ordered me to go to his office at Jinja Road, which I did.

When I reached his office, there were three other people with him. He said one of them is a State House operative who had been assigned to handle the case, and that the others were CID detectives. They told me that they had information that I am the mastermind of city demonstrations which are going to take place. That they have been informed that Dr Kizza Besigye brought Shs40 billion into the country and that the money was partly being channelled through me to organise the demonstration.

I told them that I cannot discuss the details of any planned demo because I do not plan to hold any. I also emphasized the fact that it is my constitutional right to demonstrate if I am not happy with one or two things regarding the administration of state affairs.

They all talked in turns, warning me. They even told me that the Inspector General of Police had met the President and that the President gave them orders to arrest any demonstrators. I told them we have no intention of burning the city because we are never set out to destroy people’s property. They said, “If you turn out tomorrow for a demo you will suffer the consequences,”. I asked them ‘can I leave?” they told me “You can go but know that we are watching you and listening to your phone conversations”.

After all this, I thought it was important that I let somebody in the party hierarchy know. I called Frank Atukunda, the FDC party secretary for Internal Affairs. He told me to meet him so that we can discuss the matter. When I was still narrating the story to him, I received a phone call from a gentleman who identified himself as Abot. He said he was a State House operative calling me to emphasize that they are watching me and that I should be careful.

Shortly after, I received another phone call from another gentleman who said he is Joel Aguma, the Commandant of Rapid Response Unit (RRU). He told me that he had received information that I was planning chaos and to burn down the city. I asked him “Do you indeed believe that I have such a plan?” I then cancelled the call.

When I finished taking to Atukunda, I decided to head home. But minutes after I had reached home, I received another call from Moses Kafeero (RPC Kampala, South). He told me that I and him are young people who should not get confused by old men like Dr Besigye, that the future of this country belongs to me and him and-- to our generation. And that he had decided to call me and warn me against taking part in the demonstrations. I told him that Dr Besigye does not have the capacity to confuse me.

I assured him that I am a well-educated person, understanding and capable of making my own decision. I told him that if I decide to get involved in the demonstration, it’s my decision not because Dr Besigye has confused me. I told him that if I take part in any demonstration, it is because I know that it’s my right and that not even him or anybody can take away that right from me. He replied, “If that’s your decision, then let us meet in the field and fight.”

He said the police was going to open their armoury to meet us the next day. When his phone went off, I received another phone call from the DPC Jinja Road, who identified himself as Dennis Kamugisha. He said they have troops and teargas and that we are going to taste it if we attempt to protest. The same officers kept on calling me up to about 2:00am. Kafero called me for about three times up to a point I refused to pick his calls. By 2:00am I went to sleep.

At about 3:00am my brother knocked at my bedroom door and told me that the Chairman LC1 was there to see me. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see five armed police officers around. One identified himself as commandant RRU Aguma who had called me earlier and that he had come to take me to Jinja Road Police for further questioning. They escorted me back into my bedroom.

I put on my coat and shoes. I walked out with them but on reaching outside the gate, there were two more cars; a Toyota Premio and a Police patrol truck. There were about 20 police officers in total. We drove the chairman to his home and dropped him off and I was taken to Kitintale Police Station instead. I sat at the Police Station for about 20 minutes and they ordered me back into the car and we started driving towards Jinja Road Police. Along the way, they took my two cell phones but I had hidden my third phone inside my coat.

When we reached Jinja Road Police, they locked me in one of the rooms. I got the phone which I had veiled in my coat and I sent out messages to some people that I was under arrest. At about 5:30am, a CID detective accompanied by Aguma came in and interrogated me for about 30 minutes. I recorded a statement. At 7:00am, I was brought at the reception and ordered to declare everything I had and they put me in a cell.

At this point, they saw my other phone and also confiscated it. I was later removed from the cell and taken to regional offices. But the CID who was supposed to interrogate me was not there. I was brought back to Jinja Road police cell. After 30 minutes I was again taken to regional offices and told to record a second statement.

Later, I was taken into a police vehicle and another police pickup truck followed us with heavily-armed anti-riot police officers. My party friends had also gathered around to help me get out. We drove towards Nakawa Court. FDC officials were there and my Lawyer, Sam Kalega Njuba followed us. But when we reached Nakawa, I was hurriedly taken into court and in three minutes, before even my lawyer entered the court, I was remanded to Luzira by a magistrate.