Activist petitions Parliament over car tracking devices
Security minister Jim Muhwezi (right) exchanges contract documents with Mr Ivan Shkraban, the chief executive officer of Joint Stock Company Global Security, in Kampala on July 23. Photo/Stephen Otage
What you need to know:
- The idea was on previous occasions fronted by President Museveni including in a June 2018 address to Parliament.
An activist has petitioned Parliament to resist government’s plan of having mandatory trackers on all vehicles, motorcycles and water vessels.
In his petition, Mr Onesmus Muwanga, who is an advocate of freedom and justice, indicated that the idea is in bad faith and aims at robbing Ugandans of their freedom of privacy.
“Once you allow mandatory trackers of vehicles and motorbikes, it will set the precedent for government to encroach on all other fundament freedoms, soon, government may demand to put trackers on all human beings in the disguise of keeping Ugandans safe, a move that may be used to trace and persecute people with divergent views from those of government,” reads part of the petition.
“It can lead to persecution of Opposition politicians, persecution of journalists, persecution of government critics and freedom activists since security agencies can time when journalists, politicians are going home or travelling in isolated places and harm them in disguise of accidents or other means possible since they will be following them all the time,” the petition further reads.
Mr Muwanga urged MPs not to bow down to pressure by agreeing to the idea.
“It is from the above points that I appeal to all Members of Parliament to resist an attempt by government to take away our fundamental freedom of privacy in disguise of safety and security claims…,” he added.
The petitions follows government’s pending arrangement to install tracking devices in all public and private vehicles, motorcycles and water vessels after reasoning that this would enable the State to respond swiftly in case of any insecurity incident.
The idea was on previous occasions fronted by President Museveni including in a June 2018 address to Parliament where he noted that if implemented, the plan would bear fruit in taming the rising crime, especially murders in the country..
