Police have said they are yet to establish whether Amuria District Woman Member of Parliament Maggie Etilu is under arrest and where she may be detained.
Speaking during the weekly police press briefing on Monday, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said he needed time to verify reports regarding the legislator’s disapperance before he can commenting further.
“I need to know if she’s under arrest, in which police station and the charges,” Rusoke said when asked about Etilu’s whereabouts.
His remarks come amid mounting pressure from political leaders, family members and residents of the Teso sub-region demanding answers over the fate of the newly sworn-in legislator.
Etilu was reportedly arrested by security operatives on May 23 in Nakasero, Kampala, shortly after visiting former Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among.
However, neither the Uganda Police Force nor the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have officially confirmed her arrest or disclosed where she is being held.
Since her reported disappearance, various groups and individuals from Teso have taken to social media to demand her release or production before a court of law if she is facing any charges.
Among the most prominent voices raising concern is former Serere Woman MP and Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) National Coordinator Alice Alaso Asianut, who questioned the silence surrounding the disappearance of the legislator. “I ask with a very heavy heart where is Hon Etilu Margaret,” Alaso wrote in a statement shared on social media.
She noted that Etilu is a newly elected and recently sworn-in Woman Member of Parliament for Amuria District and said reports indicated that she was picked up by unknown operatives around Nakasero about a week ago.
“Since then, there is a lot of silence. Parliament of Uganda is quiet. Teso Parliamentary Group is quiet. The Ministers from Teso are quiet. The NRM party which she subscribes to is quiet. Even the Iteso are quiet. This is very disturbing,” Alaso said.
She argued that if Etilu had committed any offence, authorities should present her before court instead of holding her incommunicado.
“If this young lady has offended the law, please produce her and charge her in court. No objection,” she said.
“To hold her incommunicado is a blatant violation of her rights and the presumption of innocence.” Alaso also called upon the Inspector General of Police to clarify whether the MP was in police custody and faulted Parliament for not publicly addressing the matter.
“Given that she is a leader of her people in Amuria, it should not be difficult to notify Parliament,” she said. “It is terrifying to think that a young woman at Margaret’s age can go missing for a week, no one speaks and her family is not in the know. This is not right.”
The former legislator further criticized political leaders from Teso and officials within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) for what she described as their silence over the matter.
“Where is Hon Etilu? Shame on the Iteso leaders. Shame on NRM Teso if you can’t even show concern for your member,” she wrote.
The disappearance has sparked widespread concern among constituents and fellow legislators, with calls growing for security agencies to disclose Etilu’s whereabouts and ensure that her constitutional rights are respected.
While some of the MPs from Teso raised the matter earlier with the our reporter, they feared to go on record over the issues linked to former Speaker since Etilu was reportedly arrested after leaving her residence-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
