More trouble for Former IGP Kayihura after being sacked

Just two days after IGP Kale Kayihura was sacked by the president, the ghosts of his past deeds are coming to haunt him again after Network of Public Interest Lawyers vowed to revive torture charges against him.

The lawyers mentioned that they would revive the torture charges slapped on him and seven other senior police officers in 2016.

IGP Kale Kayihura and the other seven officers were sued in 2016 by Micheal Nyesiga and Muhereza who were allegedly clobbered and tortured on July 13, 2016.

The duo filed court papers seeking for a compensation of UGX50m and dismissal of the sued police officers.

In the lawsuit, the duo alleged that they were among the several people who were clobbered while escorting opposition leader Dr.Kizza Besigye following his release from Luzira Prison where he had spent two months on remand over treason related charges on July 13, 2016.

Network of Public Interest Lawyers (NETPIL) chairperson Daniel Walyemera says the move to revive torture charges against Gen. Kale Kayihura pivots on the fact that “he is now an individual out of office”.

“Obviously the interference will be lesser because we are now pursuing an individual who has left office. This provides us with an opportunity to push further for the logical conclusion of these cases. People have to be held responsible for their actions, especially when it’s torture,” Daniel Walyemera says.

The trial of Kayihura against criminal charges flopped in 2016 when hundreds of his supporters stormed Makindye Magistrate Court protesting his trial causing a stampede – they continuously ran around court premises with closing the door to the chambers of Chief Magistrate Richard Mafabi.

Network of Public Interest Lawyers (NETPIL) was founded to foster greater engagement of lawyers in public interest litigation and advocacy towards achieving social justice and greater protection of fundamental rights for all.