Police has now made a U-turn on the reasons for the arrest of local musician and kadongokamu singer, Gerald Kiwewa.
Kiwewa was arrested last week on Thursday by armed personnel from his home in Maganjo, Wakiso district. Initially, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango told journalists that Kiwewa was arrested following a complaint to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) by Kayunga Woman MP Idah Erios Nantaba over the 'Nantaba' song.
"We have arrested Gerald Kiwewa because we recorded a complaint from Hon. Ida Nantaba saying the lyrics in the song directly attack and defame her," said Onyango last week.
However, the legislator has since vehemently come out to deny ever filing any complaint against Kiwewa, saying she is not the only Nantaba in the country and that any musician is free to sing about her and about anything. She challenged police to provide evidence of the said complaint. Onyango had said they had opened inquiries vide GEF 442/2020.
"I am wondering who the complainant is because I have not told police to arrest him. If he sang about Nantaba, I am not the only Nantaba? The name Nantaba is not a business name that I have a copyright about it," Nantaba told Spark TV via skype.
Now, the CID spokesperson, Charles Twine, says it is CID that initiated the arrest and interrogation of the artist. Asked why police arrested Kiwewa yet there was no one complainant, Twine said they have the legal mandate to arrest someone they suspect has committed or is about to commit a crime even whether there is a complainant or not.
Also still in police custody are four comedians of the Bizonto group who were arrested on Friday last week from Radio Simba on allegations of promoting sectarianism in the country after they uploaded a video on social media urging Ugandans to pray for their leaders holding prominent positions in the country.
They named the top leaders at Bank of Uganda, National Social Security Fund, Uganda National Roads Authority, Ministry of Finance, Uganda Revenue Authority, Electoral Commission, Internal Security Organisation (ISO), Chieftancy of Military Intelligence (CMI), Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) among others which are all headed by people from the same region.
The artists in the country have come out to stand in solidarity with the Bizonto comedians, releasing several mocking videos of their own, in which they wrongly and deliberately attribute the leaders in different ministries and government agencies to different regions and tribes across the country.
Yesterday, Monday a Baba TV political host Basajja Mivule was also arrested from the station in Ntinda and had his home searched on allegations of promoting sectarianism after he questioned on social media why the army leadership is dominated by people from the same region.
Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo warned that government is going to decisively deal with any individual or media house that is promoting sectarianism because there are bad enough lessons from neighbouring countries.
Ofwono said the so-called leaders from one region, especially in security, are "making an ultimate sacrifice to serve the country" which very few Ugandans are willing to do so.
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