Gen. Kahinda Otafiire has apologised to National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine over the Thursday fracas at Entebbe International airport.
KAMPALA – Internal affairs minister Gen. Kahinda Otafiire has apologised to National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine over the Thursday fracas at Entebbe International Airport.
Kyagulanyi was whisked away by security operatives dressed like airport workers upon landing to his home at Magere in Wakiso district. The move was aimed at stopping him from his planned match from Entebbe with supporters.
The minister, however, says the operation averted a wouldbe bloodshed where people, especially supporters would have died in stampedes and commotions.
Otafiire says the operation was carefully done and put into consideration Kyagulanyi’s human rights and safely delivered to his home without injuring anyone.
“If Kyagulanyi is unhappy and is angry with the way we handled him, I’m sorry for him and all people who are hurt by this move, but it saved many,” the minister says.
Otafiire was on Thursday morning responding to concerns from a journalist on a local radio station about the way Kyagulanyi was handled. The journalist also expressed concern over the way journalists who were covering Kyagulanyi’s return were handled. A number of journalists were brutally attacked by security operatives and their gadgets confiscated.
Kyagulanyi was whisked away by security operatives dressed like airport workers upon landing to his home at Magere in Wakiso district.
However, Otafiire all in all, praised the operatives for the way they handled the matter, saying in the previous confrontations between Kyagulanyi and security operatives, a number of people died.
He said the operation also saved many ordinary citizens whose businesses would have been interrupted during the match.
The Police had earlier warned the supporters and the general public against gathering in big numbers to welcome back Kyagulanyi, who has been abroad where he participated in a number of programmes with supporters in the diaspora. Several leaders and supporters were arrested and were still being held by press time over the matter.
The minister did not, however, condemn the way the journalists were mishandled but several human rights organisations have condemned the act, saying many of them carried identifications and were dressed in press jackets but were beaten by the security men.
The Human Rights Network for Journalists Uganda condemned the continued violation of journalists’ human rights and asked for the operatives involved to be investigated.
