Killings in Greater Masaka: Ssegirinya, Ssewanyana Summoned

HThe Criminal Investigations Directorate –CID has summoned Members of Parliament Alan Ssewanyana of Makindye West Constituency and Muhammad Ssegirinya of Kawempe North Constituency over the killings in the greater Masaka area.

At least 26 people have been confirmed to have been killed by unknown assailants in Masaka City and Lwengo districts. The killings that started on July 21 have also left several people nursing wounds.

The Commissioner of Police Paul Kato Tumuhimbise, in his summonses issued on Friday on behalf of CID Director Grace Akullo, says the MPs are needed as part of the on-going investigations on murders that happened in July and August 2021.

Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya are expected to appear before detective Moses Taremwa on Monday to record the statements.

“This serves to as summon for you to appear at Masaka Police Station on Monday 6th September 2021 at 10 am before D/SSP Moses Taremwa for a statement in respect to the said investigations,” read CP Katto’s summons.

The summoned MPs are members of the National Unity Platform –NUP. President Yoweri Museveni and minister for ICT Dr Chris Baryomunsi have publically made a statement claiming Masaka killings have political instigation.

Efforts to Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya were futile as they did not respond to our calls. Even NUP spokesperson, MP Joel Ssenyonyi did not respond to our call. However, CID spokesperson Charles Twine confirmed that MPs are needed over the Masaka murders.

NUP President and former presidential candidate Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi took to his Facebook page to express his dissatisfaction with the summons of his party legislators.

Kyagulanyi said the summonses to Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya means the government led by President Museveni was has ‘actualised’ its plan of implicating NUP leaders in the ongoing spate of murders in Greater Masaka.

“When Mister Chris Baryomunsi alluded to this last week, it looked like an absolute joke. But as we now know, anything is possible in Uganda. They will do anything possible and go to any extent to achieve their absurd objectives. There is no regime whose evil schemes can be as accurately predicted as that in Uganda,” Kyagulanyi said.

Most of the victims of the Masaka killings have been the elderly living alone in houses. Some of these include Mukasa Idrisa90, Mugerwa Francis aka Kiiza Nswa 58, Kakooza Sulaiman 54, Nampijja Muhangaza 75, Yeye Peter 30, Mulindwa Maddi 45, Nakato Maria 80, Kabanda John, Kalya Vicent, Nkanka Joseph 51, Kaweesi Godfrey 30, Bwanika Joseph, Ddumba Joseph Lutakome and Lubega Aramanthan.