By Aggrey Baba
It is said that when the lion roars, the jungle listens. And so, former Bardege-Layibi MP candidate and National Unity Platform (NUP) Regional Coordinator for Northern Uganda, Mungu Brian, has raised serious concerns over alleged mistreatment of inmates at Pece Local Prison in Gulu City.
His voice joins a growing call for justice, echoing the cries of those behind bars who have no platform to speak for themselves.
Mungu, who once found himself in the same prison, accuses Corporal Kyobe Reagan, a prison warden, of mistreating inmates. He alleges that Kyobe not only assaulted him but also subjected a sick prisoner to a brutal kick in the ribs, disregarding the man’s health condition. “My only crime was speaking good English,” Mungu laments, implying that his ability to express himself may have made him a target.
Beyond personal experience, he raises concerns about the presence of juveniles in adult detention facilities, citing the case of 17-year-old Okur Emmanuel, who by press time, was still on remand for a stolen phone case but is allegedly being forced into hard labor alongside adult prisoners. Such practices, if true, would go against established legal provisions that seek to protect minors from such conditions.
“These things happen behind closed doors, and the public rarely gets to know,” Mungu stated, urging the Human Rights Desk and the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee to visit Pece Local Prison and investigate these claims. He has since opened a case of torture against the accused warden, hoping that justice will take its course.
Mungu himself was previously arrested alongside other NUP leaders during a regional parliamentary sitting in Gulu. They had called for better accountability, arguing that the money used for the sitting could have been directed towards urgent needs such as improving roads, schools, and healthcare in Northern Uganda.
As the dust settles, the question remains: will the relevant authorities heed this call, or will these allegations be swept under the rug like footprints in the sand? Time will tell. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
