By John Okello Lapok
The Chairperson Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) Adv. Mariam Wangadya has urged President Museveni to review the criteria he uses to appoint Commissioners to UHRC.
According to her, the Head of State has shown that the Commission has become a dumping ground for all political rejects, debt stricken and morally wanting individuals, instead of following one’s professional competence and integrity.
Addressing the media at UHRC offices in Naguru, a fire spitting Wangadya noted that this practice undermines the core mandate of the Commission as provided for under the Constitution of Uganda.
She cited three Commissioners whose names she didn’t expressly reveal, accusing them of doing nothing to advance the work of the commission apart from engaging in intrigue, rumor mongering, and threatening violence.
To prove her disgust, Wangadya said unless the President listens to this advice and changes the criteria, she is not willing to extend her stay at the Commission when her term officially expires in September next year 2027.
“If the President continues to show disrespect to the UHRC by continuing to dump rejects, debtors and struggling individuals to the Commission, it would be difficult for me to accept to serve for another term. The five years I have served with these people have taught me a lot. He gave me rotten tomatoes” she said in reference to the three Commissioners.
She added that the President has not only negated on Appointing credible people to the commission to serve with her, but also went ahead and kept the commission on a financial drip.
“No money, no credible people! I request the President to kindly respect the UHRC. We need money, we need credible people not bean weevils, not Kony” she said.
A bitter Wangadya explained that the President gave her three Commissioners (she didn’t name) whom she said ever since they came, they have added no value to the commission.
She said these three individuals including a woman and two men, have concentrated on creating fights and taking rumors to every office whose gates they find open, accusing her of being corrupt.
“They also know it that I am not under any investigation. How come I have not been arrested, recorded any statement or charged? But they are allover the place taking rumors to every office branding me a thief. These stupid accusations have been taken to the IGG, Police, State House and the Minister for Public Service. Everyone is disgusted with this group. They are idle” she said.
Refering to the group to as monster Joseph Kony and bean weevils, Wangadya urged the President to save the UHRC by posting there people of high moral integrity but not those who are rejected by voters, those looking for survival and those running away from loan sharks.
She said the said group gets its energy through constant oiling courtesy of a female MP she accused of seeking a bribe. She said this MP even as the President forgave her and asked the DPP to drop the charges, has continued to witch-hunt her through these three Commissioners.
Wangadya said the negative articles that have dominated the media in the past six months and orchestrated by the three Commissioners are (according to her) being funded by the female legislator.
On this note, the asked the DPP to reinstate the case file against the Woman MP (Cissy Namujju) so that she can table all evidence in court. She threatened to release the video clips and audio to the public court if the DPP doesn’t respond as requested so that the public can understand part of the problem why the negative articles keep coming out. She said they are being sponsored.
“The President should know that these insufferable political rejects you sent me have made my work difficult. These political rejects are so brutal. They have not added any value to the mandate of the UHRC. On their own, they don’t have the money, but they are being funded. That’s why the case must be reinstated so that the truth can come out.” She said.
Wangadya noted that now that the IGG has already arrested seven officials from parliament, reinstating the case serves the right purpose and timing.
“As a complainant, those people are still following me. They want to kill me. I pray that this case be reinstated. They should be taken to court. If the DPP doesn’t reinstate the case, she should tell me why? I am ready to release those clips on Monday if I don’t hear from her. I am going to release them so that even if I am killed, the public court would know the genesis. I believe this is the right time to bring back that case” she said.
She said that she had already forwarded a letter to the President bringing her predicament to his attention. She urged the President to act before it’s too late. She also denied being a thief, noting that if she were, she would have generated illicit wealth while still serving as deputy IGG. She said during her tenure, several bribe proposals were brought to her but she remained steadfast in safeguarding her integrity and that of the office.
