The Catholic church in Amuria held a prayer to pray for justice for Margaret Etilu, the Amuria Woman MP. Etilu went missing days after she took the oath at Parliament. Un confirmed reported indicated that she was arrested from the residence of former Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among. The Police and the army have, however, repeatedly denied that she is under their custody. The prayers were organized across all the Catholic churches in the Amuria district as a way of seeking divine intervention to bring to justice those responsible for the MP’s arrest.
According to Rev. Fr. Samuel Ebietu, the parish priest of St. Michael Catholic Church, Wera, and the Diocesan Pastoral Coordinator for Soroti Catholic Diocese, the disappearance of Etilu has raised serious human rights concerns among the people of Amuria, where she was elected to lead. “We consulted the Bishop of Soroti Catholic Diocese, Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Eciru Oliach, who approved the community’s intention to hold prayers in most of the Catholic Churches across the district for MP Etilu’s justice and safe return,” said Fr. Ebietu.
“I sent the message to all the priests in the Diocese to ensure that they have special intentions for her protection and to dedicate today’s adoration to her. We strongly believe that it is only God who can intervene in her case.” He added that the church has joined the electorate in demanding the release of Etilu, hoping she will return healthy and with a sound mind to continue serving the people of Amuria district and the entire nation.
“We have been receiving scanty information about her arrest by the security agencies and her detention in an unknown location in connection with her being close to the former Speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among. From then, we have been praying individually, but we came together to pray collectively,” Fr. Ebietu stated.
Fr. Ebietu condemned the state for the unlawful detention of any person beyond 48 hours, emphasizing that, “She was not produced in any courts of law, and her whereabouts are unknown, so the church condemns this. Last year, a similar incident occurred in Masaka when a priest was abducted, and it took weeks before the security confirmed they were the ones detaining him. Besides praying, we condemn these acts because, by law, whoever is arrested should be produced in court within 48 hours.”
He appealed to the top leadership to let justice prevail, reiterating that anyone suspected of committing a crime must be produced in court as the law states within 48 hours. “The country should refrain from this kind of abduction and unnecessary arrests without clear reasons. The government should ensure that there is dialogue if there are any issues between any person and the government, rather than taking the law into their own hands without giving people opportunities to be heard. Let justice prevail, let dialogue prevail, and let peace prevail,” Fr. Ebietu urged.
Peter Carlos Ebiau, a former candidate for the Kasilo MP seat, joined the prayers in Amuria to ask for God’s intervention for Etilu. “I have come all the way from Serere district to pray with the family about the disappearance of Etilu. I have known Etilu for over twenty years; she has been a good person, vocal, and loved the Teso culture,” Ebiau said. He cautioned the government against repeating the dark history of Obote and Amin, where people were arrested and disappeared, often later confirmed dead.
“Unfortunately, for the thirteen days, we have been moving around police and army detention asking about Etilu, and all of them deny knowing her whereabouts. The government should give us a clear gesture about the legislator instead of leaving us to guess,” he said. He urged the leaders in Teso to take up the matter by demanding to know Etilu’s whereabouts. The Teso Parliamentary Group should also critique the arrest of the MP without being brought to court,” Ebiau added.
Tika Akello, Etilu’s mother, expressed her anguish upon learning about her daughter’s disappearance. “I was told to close the shop and go to Soroti for a meeting. I asked what the meeting was for, but they could not tell me. It was only when I insisted that I learned it was about Etilu, who had disappeared. What has happened is very hard to imagine for Etilu, who is known as a prayerful person, a leader, and someone who loves peace.”
Tika shared that when Etilu finished school, she had ambitions of leadership and consulted her parents about wanting to join politics to serve the people of Amuria. “God made her a leader,” she said. She recounted that the last time she saw her daughter was during the Parliamentary swearing-in, and since then, her whereabouts have been unknown.
“I am in pain that such a thing has happened to Etilu. We, as a family, have been loyal to NRM for years. Let the information reach the president that his intervention is needed at such a difficult time.” Christine Agemo said the community joined the prayers when they heard about Etilu’s disappearance.
“As the voters of Amuria, we thought it was a lie when the rumors began to circulate. Now that the church leaders have called on believers to have a dedicated prayer today for Etilu, we have come together. We are not all from the same church; others are from the Church of Uganda, but what is important is our prayer for our MP.”-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
