I Am Not Against NUP Profiling Missing Persons,” UHRC Boss States

By Ivan Kaahwa

Mariam Wangadya, the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, states that she does not object to the National Unity Platform profiling missing persons.

She emphasizes that the Commission conducted thorough investigations into alleged missing persons, successfully accounting for 12 out of the 30 reported. However, challenges arose due to uncooperative complainants and switched-off phone calls, hindering vital information gathering.

Wangadya also debunks claims of the closure of UN Human Rights offices, clarifying that their contractual obligations with Uganda had ended, and operations were not renewed. She advises consulting the foreign affairs ministry for further details.

Wangadya asserts that the absence of UN Human Rights offices does not hinder the government’s efforts to uphold human rights standards. She highlights the Commission’s mandate to ensure citizens’ rights are respected, with collaboration from the judiciary, security agencies, and media to expose violators through thorough investigations.

Addressing concerns about security agencies being major human rights violators, Wangadya acknowledges the presence of bad elements but stresses the Commission’s role in investigating such cases through a tribunal, making recommendations for actions against human rights violations. She argues against labeling security agencies as the primary violators and mentions frequent engagements with security agencies to emphasize human rights protection.

Wangadya encourages the public to utilize the Commission’s 12 regional offices to lodge complaints of human rights violations. She also urges embracing the UHRC application, allowing complainants to monitor the progress of actions taken by the Commission regarding reported cases.

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