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MP Nabilah tells her side of the story
Thursday, 19th June, 2008 E-mail article Print article
MP Nabilah Sempala
KAMPALA Woman MP Nabilah Sempala yesterday gave Parliament an emotional account of her arrest by the Police at Owino Market on June 10. The Police had accused her of holding an illegal rally.
“I was merely guiding the people of Owino Market on how to have their views heard in Parliament through suggestion boxes that I had provided in all the markets in the city,” she told the attentive Parliament.
“Surprisingly, I was almost stripped naked by uniformed Police officers led by the officer in charge of the New Taxi Park Police post, AIP Babigamba.”
Nabilah said she was hit several times as the Police officers forced her to sit on the floor of the Police Post in the market.
“It was at this moment that I was shoved forcefully and in the process, a metallic case tore through my blouse and cut me in the back. I could see the excited Police officers’ faces gleefully executing humiliating acts on my person as if they enjoyed every minute of the action.”
At this juncture, the MP, overcome by emotion, broke down, bowed her head and sobbed. After two minutes, she recomposed and struggled through the statement as both NRM and opposition MPs shouted: “Shame on the Police.”
The legislator denied that she had hit a Police officer with a microphone.
Waving a DVD, she said she had a recording of the episode and could project it to the House if permitted.
“I have hitherto had respect and held minister Rugunda in high esteem. However, I am perturbed that the minister has listened to lies, relayed them to this House and now has instituted fresh charges against me that I assaulted a Police officer,” she said as Latif Ssebagala (DP) offered her a glass of water.
Sempala observed that by going to Owino Market, she was executing her constitutional mandate and her electorate was entitled to information.
The Police harassment, the MP asserted, was tantamount to undermining parliamentary democracy in Uganda.
However, witnesses at the rally gave The New Vision a different account of events.
“I found her standing on the first floor of the market building, addressing a rally,” said Godfrey Kayongo, the chairman of the Market Vendors’ Association.
“She invited me up to welcome her officially. I told the vendors that the previous day the MP had told me she was going to put a suggestion box.”
According to Kayongo, a Police officer came up, requesting her to stop since this was becoming a public rally.
“Nabilah told him: ‘I don’t need your permission to talk. I am an MP.’ She went back and started talking. The policeman asked me to get the microphone. But I did not see how I could stop her. I walked down. Glancing back, I saw a scuffle erupt as the MP refused to give the Police officer the microphone.”
Potato vendor Godfrey Kasita, who stood on the ground floor, described how the Police officer and Nabilah exchanged words but he could not hear what they were saying.
“I gathered that the MP refused to follow his instructions,” he said.
“The Police officer then tried to take the microphone from her. What I saw is that she hit him with her elbow. As he was complaining about this act, she hit him again with the microphone. As the Police officer came down the stairs, the crowd pelted him with stones.”
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