Mathias Mpuuga: Museveni has no moral authority to condemn past governments over human rights violations

The Leader of Opposition in Parliament,Mathias Mpuuga has said President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has no moral authority to condemn the past governments over human rights violations since his own government has committed more evil than the former.

 The Nyendo-Mukungwe legislator made the remarks yesterday at Lubaga Cathedral during the memorial mass of the 1st indigenous Ugandan Chief Justice, the late Benedicto Kiwanuka.

Mpuuga said the late Benedicto Kiwanuka in 1972 is alleged to have been abducted and subsequently murdered by the government of the day, however, what happened over 50 years back is the same thing Uganda has been experiencing since 2020.

“As we remember the late Chief Justice, it is disingenuous of the current regime to criticise Idi Amin’s government for Ben Kiwanuka’s disappearance and murder. What the NRM is doing differently is abducting ordinary citizens because of their political affiliation!” he said.

Mpuuga informed the congregation that it’s now 51 years since the disappearance of Ben Kiwanuka and at the same time it is 4 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 5 days since the enforced disappearance of Opposition supporters like John Bosco Kibalama, John Damulira, Muhammad Kanatta and a whole list of others.

“This leaves the regime with no moral authority to condemn the past governments over the same violations it is committing,” he said.

Meanwhile, abduction of people in Uganda has been a concerning issue for many years; since 1964 when Uganda was under the leadership of Milton Obote. Therefore Uganda has a history of political unrest, and abductions have been used as a tactic to silence opposition figures or intimidate activists across the arms of the government.

Most of the classes of people in Uganda who are prone to abductions and torture are members of the opposition and currently, there are many political prisoners rotting in jail, a move that has brought back the nostalgia of the 1970s (the dark days of Uganda).