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Inside 6-minute Bobi Wine, Wangadya tense meeting
The Uganda Human Rights Commission chairperson, Ms Mariam Wangadya. Photo/Abubaker Lubowa
What you need to know:
- Ms Wangadya summoned security to throw out Bobi Wine from the proceedings, reasoning that she could not stand accusations of the Commission violating human rights.
An exchange of words on May 20 ensued between the chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Ms Mariam Wangadya, and the principal of the Opposition National Unity Platform, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine.
Bobi Wine was following up on his complaint before the Commission in which he had accused the government of unfairly blocking up to 20 of his musical concerts, thereby suffocating him financially.
Bobi Wine accused the Wangadya-led Commission of not being impartial before withdrawing his complaint.
Ms Wangadya on the other hand, summoned security to throw out Bobi Wine from the proceedings, reasoning that she could not stand accusations of the Commission violating human rights.
Below are experts of the mid-morning session.
Bobi: It is more than five years, madam chair, and as all of us know, justice delayed is justice denied. Madam chairperson and members, this Commission which is empowered by the Constitution to protect constitutional rights is instead the one violating those rights. I mean madam chair, how can a complaint regarding…
Wangadya: If that is the personal statement you are making, which is an attack on the Commission, you are free to withdraw your complaint. I will not allow you to denigrate, emasculate, demean, or disrespect this Commission. If that is the personal statement you are making, you are not going any further…
Bobi: Madam chair, with this attitude…..
Wangadya: You are represented, you have to speak through your lawyers. If you want to withdraw…I will not allow you to accuse this Commission of violating human rights [and] you will not speak any further…..
Bobi: You… yourself madam chair came out and mocked the victims of the missing people and with this attitude, I hear by withdraw my complaint to this Commission because this Commission lacks impartiality, independence…
Wangadya: I am directing you to leave, where is security?
Bobi: It is your right but it is before the world madam chair.
Wangadya: I am directing you to leave!
The principal of the Opposition National Unity Platform, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine (centre), at the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) offices in Kampala on May 20, 2024. Photo/Abubaker Lubowa
Background to the complaint
On December 7, 2018, Mr Kyagulanyi filed a complaint of violation of human rights before UHRC. The case was fixed for hearing on May 24, 2023. However, the hearing was deferred due to his absence and later rescheduled to yesterday May 20.
According to the withdrawn formal complaint on violation of rights by the Uganda Police Force, which was sent and received by UHRC on December 10, 2018, Mr Kyagulanyi states that police have occasionally blocked his music shows.
In the letter, he said he was meant to hold a music concert at Mandela National Stadium (Nambole) in September 2018, however, the police blocked the concert claiming that Mr Kyagulanyi and the organisers had not secured the venue.
“Our client also organised another music show in Gulu District where he was to perform at Smiling Panda on December 2, 2018. Despite the organisers duly fulfilling the conditions, the police were heavily deployed to the show venue and denied all the people access claiming that they had received orders from above to block the show,” the complaint read in part.
It added: “We have proceeded to notify the police in writing about our planned music shows and the police have adamantly not replied to the notification letters and in other cases blocked the shows. Being a musician and a performing artiste, a vocation he does to earn a living, [Bobi Wine] has been a victim of the arbitrary and illegal conduct of the police which has violated his right to earn a gainful income.”
The letter further called on the tribunal to take notice that he has lost a lot of money in organising the shows, hiring venues and public address systems, advertising and paying support staff in expectation of recovering the money only for the same shows to be frustrated by the police.
It was further stated that some service providers are threatening to sue him for breach of contract regarding the several shows in Masaka, Kala Kalangala, and Mityana.
Bobi WINE’s FULL statement to the commission
Chairperson and members of the Commission,
We filed this complaint for the violation of my rights on December 7, 2018, after security agencies blocked over 20 of my music concerts, confiscated our music equipment, and denied several people their right to earn a living, simply because of my political affiliation.
We are appearing this morning, more than five years later, for a chance to be heard!
Article 28 of what is left of the Constitution of Uganda provides for the right to a fair hearing. It provides that a person shall be entitled to a fair, speedy, and public hearing before an independent and impartial court or tribunal. A speedy hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal!
Madam chairperson and members, this Commission which is empowered by the Constitution to protect constitutional rights is the one violating those rights.
How can a complaint regarding human rights violations take more than five years to be heard? Madam chairperson, what kind of Commission are you presiding over?
Over time, many other atrocities and grave human rights violations have been meted out on many supporters of the political party I lead, the National Unity Platform (NUP).
These have included arbitrary arrests, extra-judicial killings, detentions without trial, torture, rape and sodomy in detention, trial of civilians in military courts on trumped-up charges, and enforced disappearances.
Today, some of our supporters who were abducted by security, are still missing and unaccounted for three or four years.
Some of these complaints have reached this Commission, but the security agencies have continued to commit these crimes against our people with impunity!
To our disappointment, we have not only seen inaction by this Commission against the perpetrators; but we have also heard public statements from the leadership of this Commission, not only mocking the victims but also attributing the blame entirely on them.
Madam chairperson, you yourself have shamelessly told the mothers, spouses, and children of our missing persons that their missing loved ones were ghosts!
Because of these circumstances, our confidence in this Commission is gravely shaken. The Commission, which was put in place to protect rights and freedoms has turned out to be an accomplice in the gross violations that have come to define our nation.
The Commission lacks the competence, independence, and impartiality required of it to resolve this complaint.
It is a mockery that this complaint is being heard more than five years later, before a specialised tribunal which is supposed to be faster than a court of law.
The hearing this morning is only intended to sanitize the criminality and disregard of the law. Nothing meaningful can come out of this hearing. Justice delayed is justice denied!
So because of that, I hereby withdraw the complaint we filed over five years ago for the reasons mentioned above.
In my view, this Commission has serious reflection to make, and decide whether it intends to serve the people of Uganda or to continue serving the interests of Gen Museveni and his military regime.
Having said this, I beg to leave because I am not even sure of our safety here, seeing that you yourself, recently said that some members of this Commission possess and come to meetings with guns!
I thank you.
