Man who Made Sectarian Utterances Arrested on President’s Orders

Police has arrested and charged a man who recently was recorded on a video clip making what are considered to have been sectarian statements.

While speaking at a wedding reception in Kiruhura district on December 28 last year, William Tandeka, 52, allegedly uttered remarks that were segregative to an ethnic group (Bairu) of the Banyankole people. Tandeka is a muhima by tribe.

He told the groom; “I pleaded with you, that if you loved me, you should never marry a woman who is a Mwiru. And I can assure you that this girl [bride] is not a mwiru”.

The video clip would later make rounds on social media and was brought to the attention of President Yoweri Museveni who lashed out at Tandeka calling him a “fool”.

“There are some fools and enemies that spoilt my festive season. I watched a video clip from a certain party where one fool was spewing words that were segregative against Ugandans,” a seemingly disturbed Museveni said in a video message on New Year’s Eve.

The President said some clans of the Banyankole tribe had tendencies of using the term ‘omwiru’ to demean other people as slaves.

“Fortunately, these fools who made these statements exposed their faces. We are going to find them, arrest them and charge them with sectarianism,” the President added, quoting Article 41 of the Penal Code which gazettes sectarianism as a criminal offense punishable with not more than 5 years in jail.

Read More: Museveni Orders Arrest of “Fool” who Uttered Sectarian Laced Statements

Acting on the orders of the President, Police searched for and apprehended Tandeka.

According to Rwizi regional police commander, Robert Walugembe, the suspect (Tandeka) was arrested from Gomba and transferred to Kiruhura where the crime was allegedly committed.

On Friday, he was produced before the Kiruhura magistrate court and charged with promoting sectarianism contrary to the penal code act.