|
Where is the Scotland Yard report into the murder of Dr Andrew Kayiira? This is a question on almost every lip of whoever wants to know the real murderers of the former freedom fighter more than 22 years ago! The British Metropolitan Service who investigated the murder, are now saying that releasing their findings would dent the relationship between the British and Uganda governments.
A couple of weeks ago, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) commonly known as Scotland Yard', refused to release a report of its findings into the murder in March 1987, of Dr. Andrew Lutakome Kayiira, casting doubt on the authenticity of two different reports that the Uganda government and the Uganda opposition Democratic Party (DP) claim to have obtained.
"Having located and considered the relevant information, I am afraid that I am not required by statute to release the information requested. This letter serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000," James Young, the Information Manager, Specialist Crime Directorate, said last week. He was responding to a request by this correspondent to avail him with a copy of the report. Young said he would not release the report because its contents could prejudice the relations between UK and the Government of Uganda.
The MPS singled out section (1) and (2) of the Freedom of Information Act (2000). This explains that: "Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to prejudice:
(a) relations between the United Kingdom and any other state, (b) relations between the United Kingdom and any international organisation or international court, (c) the interests of the United Kingdom abroad, or (d) the promotion or protection by the United Kingdom of its interests abroad."
In the same letter, the MPS further explains that: "Information is also exempt information if it is confidential information obtained from a State other than the United Kingdom or from an international organisation or international court." The refusal is the first official indication from Scotland Yard that it is unwilling to let the Ugandan poblic know what is really contained in its report about Dr Kayiira's murder. Prior to this, it had never made any comment about its findings on the murder.
At the time of his murder, Dr Kayiira had just been released from prison by a Ugandan court after charges of treason brought against him by the Museveni government were dismissed for lack of evidence. He had been leader of the Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) and a rival to Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA). When the Tito Okello regime fell in 1986, Kayiira agreed to join a Museveni-led unity government and was subsequently named Energy Minister.
To dispel the clouds surrounding the murder of a prominent politician, President Museveni invited Scotland Yard to probe the killing in an attempt to deflect suspicions that his government could have had a hand in the murder. More than 22 years since Kayiira was mercilessly killed in Dr Gombya's house, little is known about what Scotland Yard, who were paid millions of Shillings by the Ugandan taxpayer, actually found in their investigations.
In the run-up to the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala, the DP released what it claimed was a Scotland Yard report on Kayiira's murder. However, the government disputed this. It promptly published its own version in the state-owned New Vision newspaper.
While DP's version appeared to implicate the NRM in Kayiira's murder, the government version absolved the state of any wrongdoing and instead pointed to possible complicity by Gombya. Neither report, however, bore the official seal or stamp of the Scotland Yard. Now the UK says that if any such information is released, it would dent relations between Britain and the NRM government.
The MPS further said, "It would not be in the best interests of the public to possibly disrupt relations between this country and another due to pieces of information being released by this request which may not give the whole picture of an investigation and may in fact give a misleading view of events."
When contacted, Gombya, now a freelance British Journalist based in Britain, said this leads him to doubt the authenticity of the report made public by the government in 2007. "The refusal by Scotland Yard to give me a copy of that very document now in public domain, places a lot of doubt on the Uganda Government document given to the press in Kampala," he said. Asked why he was still pursuing the matter, Gombya said: "The so-called Scotland Yard reports released by the DP and NRM equally failed to help anyone in understanding what the investigation came-up with as to who was responsible for Dr. Kayiira's murder."
He added, "The [purported] report carried sections that are quite obviously libellous to me. I cannot be certain that the published report actually came from Scotland Yard as the copies bandied about in newspapers do not carry the standard Scotland Yard logo that appears on any correspondence from the Metropolitan Police headquarters. He further said, "As a British citizen now, I used my right in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (2002) to demand from Scotland Yard that they supply me with a true copy of their investigation in this murder since I was the one in whose house this crime was committed. They sent me the same denial that they have given you."
Gombya said that Kayiira was a very good friend of his that he so misses to this day. "So many silly things have been said about my relationship with him. Whoever is writing all these seems to have forgotten that I am a journalist of vast experience and who was just doing my job befriending high profile politicians. They aslso fail to understand that as a leading politician, Kayiira needed me as much as I needed to him. But when it comes to dealing with his movement, all UFM officials then and now know I never played any role."
 At the time of Dr Kayiira's release from prison, newspapers quoted Museveni as saying, "I'm not convinced with the court ruling. We know he was trying to overthrow our government. We will follow his movements." Upon his release, unknown gunmen who Gombya claims he believes were Ugandan army soldiers, forced their way into his (Gombya's) house and shot Kayiira to death. While Gombya managed to flee the house soon after the attack, members of his family including his wife who remained in the house throughout the attack were unharmed.
The so-called 'Scotland Yard Report' banded about by the Ugandan government, failed to mention the fact that Ugandan police dogs brought to the scene of the attack followed the attackers scents from Gombya's house to the nearby Lubiri Military Barracks where a handbag belonging to Mrs Gombya and a briefcase with Dr Kayiira's documents were found. The Uganda government has also failed to show why it took 20 years to publish a report that Scotland Yard says it completed in May 1987.
|
Its Federal or the bullet!! (1)
Its so absurd to hear that the scotland yard can not release a document that the Ugandan government claims to have released. Well, all i can say is that you can never run away from your wrongs they will definately catch-up with you. Museveni killed Kayiira, Museveni will catch up with his wrongs trust me and when he does you will find me on this page.