Uganda: Journalists held over Kasubi tombs article

Three journalists of The Red Pepper were arrested by the Police over an alleged seditious story concerning the Kasubi tombs fire.

Dalton Kwesiga, Ben Byaruhanga and Johnson Taremwa were detained yesterday afternoon after they turned up at the CID headquarters in Kibuli to answer summons.

Their troubles stem from a story titled ‘Police quizzes Mengo ministers over Kasubi fire’, which was published yesterday.

The story said the Police had summoned and grilled Buganda prime minister J.B. Walusimbi and other kingdom ministers for over five hours in connection with the fire. The Police dismissed the report as ‘utter falsehoods’.

Confirming the arrests last evening, Edward Ochom, who heads the Criminal Investigations Directorate, wondered what the journalists’ motive was.

“If you read their lead story, everything in it is wrong and we are wondering what their motive was to write such a false story at a time when tension is high,” he said.

By last evening, the three had been split and were being held in Katwe, Kira and Jinja Road Police stations on charges of sedition.

“We cannot sit and watch as people continue reporting irresponsibly,” Ochom said, adding that the trio should have verified the reports with official Police sources.

“For goodness sake, we are here. Why didn’t they, like other journalists, contact us to cross-check their information?”

The Government is still investigating the cause of the fire, which destroyed the royal regalia but left the remains of the four kings, which lay buried there, intact.

- March 25, 2010 by Conan Businge and Steven Candia

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Source:  www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/714203 (accessed on 26.03.10)