Bitanmanya’s escapades with police and life in prison

Solomon Akugizibwe

He is fearless when it comes to defending the rights of his people. Bitanmanya Joram escapades with the police haven’t been a bed of roses since the institutionalization of the multiparty political system in Uganda. He is the FDC youth chairperson for Kabarole district and a program officer for Twerwaneho Listeners Club – a local human rights NGO based in Fort Portal.

His constant battles with the police began in 2007 when he and others including the former LC V aspirant for Kabarole district Stephen Rwagweri were arrested for uttering statements critical to the government on their program called Twerwaneho on Life FM (a local radio station based in Fort Portal). They later won in courts of law but their radio program was banned on radio.

“Life hasn’t been easy for us because we have been banned for talking on all radio stations based in Fort Portal” says Joram. He adds, “Sometimes, when allowed to talk on radio, our opinions are highly censored.”

His recent troubles with the police began when he asked the government to release the report regarding the Death of Brig. Noble Mayombo at a rally organized by Gen. Mugisha Muntu who was campaigning for the FDC flagship in Fort Portal on 26th March 2010.

Joram one of the senior youth members on the campaign team of Gen. Muntu was summoned when meeting Gen. Muntu in Kampala to report to Fort Portal police on 6th April 2010. “Gen Muntu said, that is just political harassment” says Bintamanya. He was arrested for two days and charged with sedition (sedition is still contested in the constitutional court).

He reported to the police at 10am and was interrogated by the Kabarole district CID chief and below are the verbal exchanges between Bintamanya and the CID chief.

CID: What did you say?

Bintamanya: As a politician, I said so many things including roads, detoriating health services in the country, violations of human rights, law of the jungle, and death of our son Brig. Noble Mayombo.

CID: What exactly did you say regarding the death of Brig. Mayombo?

Bintamanya: I only asked for a report and gave president Museveni an ultimatum

CID: Did president Museveni kill Mayombo?

Bintamanya: I said the role of the state is to keep people and their property, when it fails the head of state is held responsible. Obote didn’t kill anyone but all the crimes committed during his reign go back to him. When Museveni was at the burial of Brig. Mayombo, he told the whole country that a commission will be instituted and people will know what killed him. Where is the report?

After the interrogation, he was escorted to the underground police cells. Fortunately, he was given a privilege of going inside the prison cells with his blanket and mattress because of the media frenzy, the arrest created in Fort Portal. He shared his beddings with whoever would fit there.

He says conditions in the cells are dire because of congestion, poor sanitation and lack of medical services for the sick mostly suffering from wounds got from torture by the police.

“On my first night, I slept in the prison mortuary with ten people, I allowed everyone to put his head on my mattress and the legs on the bare floor. It was a nasty experience because bed bugs couldn’t allow us to sleep.”

I got food from home, in prison food (sweet potatoes mixed with beans) was served after 12 hours, the food was too little, unhygienic and cold. It was only a small bucket of food for 70 people. Funny enough, police officers were sharing with prisoners forcing me to label one of them a ‘prisoner’ since there was no difference.

The constitution at the police is highly violated because, the law calls for people to record statements before entering prison cells but Bintamanya says the story is different, “I interacted with many prisoners and most them went in the cells without recording statements with the police and others have never been taken to court to prove their innocence which is an abuse of peoples rights.”

I also witnessed hardcore criminals who use guns to steal get released and petty criminals who steal goats remain in prison because of corruption in the police force.

He says, the underground prison is a time bomb waiting to explode because it’s too old and sometimes leaks, the electricity wiring system is also dangerous waiting to cause trouble at any moment.

A typical day in the prison cells begins with a roll call at 6am which Bintamanya couldn’t answer arguing that he wasn’t a thief but a freedom fighter who shouldn’t be subjected to all that humiliation. After the roll call, suspects would start cleaning the prison premises. “Prisoners wouldn’t allow me to work because they saw me as a person fighting for their rights, I could even afford sharing my mattress with everyone in the cells and gave my blanket to someone who was suffering from tuberculosis” says Bintamanya.

After the cleaning, prisoners would be allowed to be visited, food was only allowed at 4pm and then gates were closed a few minutes after 4pm.

Not new to every one who has had a prison experience, Bintamanya is planning to mobilize people and organizations to force the government increase the budget for the prison department and correct the mess in the police force to improve the conditions of the people in the prison cells.