OPINION
As the banner for the 16 days of activism against Gender based violence folded, another banner for the 75th International day of human rights unfolded on 10th December.
In between the platinum commemorations, somewhere in Gulu city a 16-year-old Leon Joshua Otim succumbed to death as a result of security brutality, an act that violated Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The denial of Leon Joshua Otim a ‘right to life’ came a few days after Meshach Okello, 33 years was shot dead by Uganda Police force when despising a lawful assembly in Iganga district.
Yet again violating articles 3 and 1 of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights instrument that guarantees liberty and security, freedom, equality, dignity and rights to all people.
Did you know that up to date Daniel Brenny Oyerwot commonly known as ‘Sir Dan Magic’ is still nursing head injuries sustained during security brutality towards a presidential candidate in Gulu City? Mid this year Edward Ssebuwufu known as Eddy Mutwe a prominent hair barber to Bobi Wine was cruel tortured into trauma in a basement.
These atrocious human denigrating acts are patterns of gross cruel mistreatment, torture and enforced disappearances violating article 5 of the UDHR.
A roman catholic priest Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira and Sam Mugumya a political activist are still part of the statistics of the rampant enforced disappearances.
Amid all these crimes against humanity, there is no institution in Uganda upholding Museveni’s dark triad accountable to human rights standards.
To our dismay, Mariam Wangadya the chairperson of Uganda Human Rights commission confessed in public;
“We don’t go deep enough the way we do when condemning acts of violence against civilians, I must confess that this out of fear” a clear red flag for lack of capacity and ability to uphold standards.
UHRC chairperson like all other Kyankwanzi patronised cadres receives appointments on State House blue letter, inclining duty bearers to the same dark triad and authoritarianism. Since Uganda Human Rights commission has not filled the human rights observation role due to lack of independence, the vacuum left by former UN rights agency ‘OHRC ‘Uganda is so glaring.
It’s now close to 3 years since the government of Uganda terminated the operations of the office of the High Commissioner for human rights forcing agency to exist the country.
However, the Office of the High Commissioner for human rights cautioned Uganda to observe and protect human rights for all.
On 3rd December, Volk Turk the executive director OHRC deplored the escalating human rights violations and cruel crackdown on the freedom and rights to dissent in a statement at the time the country is preparing for presidential and parliamentary polls in January.
Turk said in a statement “It is deeply regrettable that election campaigns have once again been marked by widespread arbitrary arrests, detentions and use of unnecessary arrests or disproportionate force against the opposition, as well as undue restriction of press freedom”.
The UN Human Rights Chief was spot on, based on the ongoing unabated cruel mistreatment, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, delayed court trials happening in the country.
Citing over 550 individuals including members of the NUP who have been arrested and detained since the beginning of 2025, heavily armed security forces on campaign trails of Robert Kyagulanyi rallies, use of tear gas, batons, whips, water cannon, sniffer wild dogs and chemical irritants killing and injuring innocent people who are simply exercising their constitutional rights and civic duties.
The 550 plus victims of these human rights violations were exercising a right to dissent as enshrined in the 1995 constitution of Uganda in article 29 and 38 under chapter Four of the constitution.
Article 29 guarantees the freedom of conscience, expression and assembly under a registered political party or association while article 38 protects citizens right to participate in all government affairs as a cardinal principle of any democracy.
The continuous crack down of dissenting voices, activists and opposition not only violates the Uganda constitution but the African Charter on human and people’s rights, African charter on democracy, elections and good governance.
Failure to fulfill these international commitments and 1993 resolutions in the Vienna declaration and programme of action, attracts the World human rights Custodians and observers such as UN Human Rights agency and international media’s attention to intervene.
The UN Human rights chief warned “The Ugandan authorities must halt all violence against the media and the opposition and act fully in accordance with their obligations under international human rights”.
This is not foreign interference but rather holding a member state accountable to shared common values and principles, international commitments and treaties Uganda made 63 years ago as a member state in the United nations.
The cautioning spirit of the UN Human Rights is directly rooted in its core mandate of ensure that member states uphold human rights standards by protecting and monitoring human rights.
I welcome the remarks of Volter Turk the UN Human rights chief because they are a stark remainder to protect human dignity at all times in the Universal declaration of Human rights.
The link between human rights observation and democracy is enshrined in Chapter 3 of the Universal declaration of Human rights. The UN Human rights agency ‘OHRC’ must go beyond usual rhetoric condemning statements and do more including engaging the UN Security Council (UNSECO) to act against any member states that glossily violate human rights.
As the Wangari Maathai stated “Human rights are not things that are put on table for people to enjoy, these are things you fight for and then you protect” wherefore, it’s incumbent upon the United Nations to hold a bull by horns to protect human dignity for all everywhere in the world.
By Robert Kigongo,
The writer is a sustainable development analyst and human rights crusader.
