By Musa Mbogo
The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) Tribunal has awarded Shs115 million to several victims of rights violations during the opening of its week-long sessions at the Gulu Regional Offices.
The sessions, chaired by UHRC Chairperson Hon. Mariam Wangadya, are being conducted by a panel that also includes Hon. Shifrah Lukwago, Hon. Simeo Nsubuga, and Hon. Jacklet Atuhaire Rwabukurukuru.
One of the key rulings involved a tragic incident dating back to October 2003 when Pte Okello Ocii of the UPDF Juliet Battalion shot and killed two women, Apio Grace and Agnes Atuku, and left 14-year-old Doris Adong with severe injuries.
Adong testified before the Commission: “On October 14th, 2003 Ocii ordered us out; me, Apio and Atuku. He shot Apio who ran and fell at a neighbor’s place. He returned to me and I ran. He fired a bullet at the back of my head.”
The Commission noted that her account had remained consistent over the years: “We notice that what she told the tribunal on October 8th, 2019 was exactly what she had recorded in her statement on March 22nd, 2005. We therefore find that on the balance of probabilities that the respondent’s agent violated Adong’s right to protection from Cruel and inhuman treatment. Throughout the material time Pte Ocii was acting in the course of his employment as a servant of the state.”
As a result, the panel awarded Shs70 million to Apio’s brother, Lawrence Opio, for the violation of his sister’s right to life, and Shs20 million to Adong for the violation of her freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Another notable ruling concerned Moses Mogi, who was subjected to repeated torture across three facilities Pece Local Government Prison, Central Government Prison Gulu, and Loro Prison Farm. He narrated how prison warders, officers, and fellow inmates brutally beat him and forced him into hazardous labor despite visible injuries.
Mogi Moses suffered extreme physical pain and mental agony at the hands of the O/C Loro Prison Farm, the Prison Warders and Katikiros (fellow inmates) who severely beat him on the head, back, legs and feet. Worse, he suffered chronic chest pains and had swollen hands and wounds on his fingers, owing to the hazardous work he had been subjected to at Pece Prison.
Even with swollen hands and wounds, they forced him to pick rubbish, sweep at Boma and uproot beans. He was also denied medical treatment. Prison officials even blocked him from accessing the medicine his family had taken to him.
“The conditions to which Mogi was subjected while in Pece and Loro prisons were akin to slavery and servitude,” Hon. Nsubuga read on behalf of the Tribunal.
For this violation, Mogi was awarded Shs25 million.
Speaking after the rulings, Ms. Pauline Nansamba Mutumba, UHRC’s Director of Complaints, Investigations and Legal Services, emphasized that the awards carry an annual interest of 10% until fully paid.
“The Commission will follow up with the UPDF and Uganda Prisons to ensure the victims get their due compensation,” she assured.
The UHRC Tribunal is currently reviewing 20 pending complaints from the Acholi Sub-region, with more rulings expected in the ongoing sessions. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
