By KT Reporter
The Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society has condemned the arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention without trial of a Masaka Diocese priest by the army, urging Parliament to exercise its oversight role to curb the continued use of ungazetted detention centres in the country. On Monday, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) confirmed that Reverend Father Deusidedit Ssekabira, the assistant parish priest of Bumangi Parish in Kalangala District, is being held in military custody after being missing for more than a week under unclear circumstances.
In a statement issued by Colonel Chris Magezi, the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, the army said Fr. Ssekabira was arrested for alleged involvement in violent subversive activities against the state. While the confirmation partially eased public concern over the priest’s whereabouts, the Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society has raised serious objections to the manner of his arrest and detention, citing multiple legal and constitutional violations.
In a statement issued by the society’s president, Nicholas Ecimu, the lawyers described the use of unmarked vehicles, unidentified operatives, secret detention facilities, and delayed disclosure of custody as hallmarks of unconstitutional security practices. “Such actions undermine the rule of law and erode public trust in state institutions,” Ecimu said.Fr. Ssekabira reportedly went missing on December 3 after being picked up from his offices in Katwe Ward, Masaka City. The army only acknowledged holding him ten days later, after the Masaka Diocese had initiated court processes seeking to compel the state to produce him. “While the acknowledgment of custody ends the period of disappearance, it does not cure the illegality of the arrest, detention, or the process employed in so doing,” the statement reads in part.
As a remedy, the lawyers demanded that the army immediately produce Fr. Ssekabira before a competent civilian court, grant him unrestricted access to legal counsel, family members, and ecclesiastical authorities, and disclose the legal basis, place of detention, and conditions under which he is being held. They also called upon the Director of Public Prosecutions to urgently review the legality of the arrest and detention, either charging the priest in a civilian court or ordering his immediate release.
Additionally, the society appealed to the Uganda Human Rights Commission to conduct an independent investigation into the alleged abduction, disappearance, and detention of the priest. It further urged Parliament to rein in what it described as excesses by security agencies. “We call upon the Parliament of Uganda to exercise its oversight role over security agencies, particularly regarding the persistent use of ungazetted detention facilities and enforced disappearances,” the statement noted.
Concerns over the incarceration of suspects in ungazetted military detention centres are not new to parliamentary debate or public discourse. Between 2019 and 2020, Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights launched investigations into alleged “safe houses” following widespread reports of torture. At the time, the committee attempted to inspect suspected detention facilities in Kyengera, a Kampala suburb, and Lyamayumba on Kalangala Island, but was blocked by operatives from the Internal Security Organisation.
Michael Joseph Kasirye, a civil and human rights activist based in Masaka, said it is long overdue for Uganda to have an honest national conversation about the existence and operations of concealed detention centres, which he described as a serious threat to human rights. Kasirye said Parliament should treat the matter as one of national importance, especially as the country approaches the next general elections.
He noted that despite repeated denials by security agencies, accounts of torture and inhumane treatment in ungazetted detention facilities continue to emerge, arguing that Parliament must assert itself by holding perpetrators accountable.
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