MPs snub police over Nebanda death claims

Dr Medard Bitekyerezo (L) greets Dr Silvestre Onzivua at Parliament shortly after he was released from police cells at Kireka. Looking on is Dr Chris Baryomunsi

A group of MPs yesterday snubbed summons to appear at the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department in Kampala to record statements on their late colleague Cerinah Nebanda’s body samples saga, and vowed to spend the night at the Parliament.

They said the police wanted to question them about how a pathologist hired by Parliament, Dr Sylvester Onzivua, obtained the Butaleja District Woman MP’s body samples that police intercepted before he could take them to South Africa for further toxicological tests.

Mr Medard Bitekyerezo (Mbarara Municipality), Dr Chris Baryomunsi (Kinkizi East) and Dr Sam Lyomoki (Workers) had been asked to appear at the CID headquarters in Kibuli to record statements. They said there was no need to heed the summons.

Also expected to appear was the Ndorwa West MP, Mr David Bahati, whom Nebanda’s family named on Wednesday as having allegedly introduced the key suspect, a Mr Adam Suleiman Kalungi, to their daughter.
“We are sleeping here because we want to present our report to Parliament tomorrow (today). We have a duty to protect the truth and we cannot occasion and be part of a wrong report because that would be ungodly and evil,” Dr Lyomoki said.

During a special session on Tuesday, Parliament tasked the MPs to work with the government and police to establish the cause of Nebanda’s death and report back to House today before she could be buried.
Yesterday, Dr Lyomoki, who was part of the team that carried out the postmortem, said: “What we witnessed were clear indications of toxins.”

As the controversy raged, the three MPs were joined by others and announced that they had withdrawn from the joint investigations.

Bugweri County MP Abdu Katuntu said: “We are not going to be party to the investigations anymore because the process lacks integrity. The samples are with one source, which is the suspect.” He added: “We want to put pressure on the government to drop (abuse of office) charges against Dr Onzivua, tell Parliament what happened and we give Cerinah a dignified send-off.”

Dr Baryomunsi, who chaired yesterday’s meeting, read out from a letter from Parliament, nominating Dr Onzivua to represent Parliament in South Africa to witness the re-examination of the body samples. “We are interested in knowing whether police have apprehended those in the conspiracy to kill our colleague. How do you want to start hunting for us as if we are criminals?”

Parliament, he stated, has total legitimacy to inquire into what killed the MP. Parliamentary laws protect MPs from being arrested within Parliament. By the time we went to press yesterday, the MPs were still holed up in their offices.

Dr Onzivua not mistreated
At yesterday’s press conference, Dr Onzivua, who was released after been held for two nights, said he was not mistreated while in custody. Nebanda’s body is expected to be taken back to Parliament today, parliamentary publicist Hellen Kaweesa confirmed.

Addressing journalists, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mr Nandala Mafabi, said: “The behaviour of the police and the President leaves no doubt that there was [something wrong]. “The President unusually has again rang everybody involved in the process to establish what killed our colleague, intimidated and coerced them to take a particular decision in an investigation that is purely scientific,” Mr Mafabi said.

Calling for a judicial commission of inquiry into Nebanda’s death, Mr Mafabi demanded that the deaths of former Army commander James Kazini, former Defence PS Brig Noble Mayombo, Lt Col. Sserwanga Lwanga and Dr Andrew Kayiira also be looked into afresh.




lutayashafiq@live.com