By Umaru Kashaka
The arrest of six people who were among the many revellers partying at Forest Mall bar in Kampala in total disregard of the COVID-19 prevention regulations has irked former coordinator of intelligence services Gen. David Sejusa.
The Police on Sunday night raided Forest Mall in Lugogo after receiving several complaints of a huge gathering of revellers partying the night away.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire, six people were arrested, including men and women and will be arraigned in court on Tuesday.
He said they were detained at Jinja Road Police Station.
“They face charges of doing negligent acts likely to cause the spread of infections,” he said.
Owoyesigyire, however, declined to reveal whether the bar owners were among those arrested.
Bars were among the leisure places that were banned from operating when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March last year.
Sejusa’s take
Gen Sejusa, who is keeping a low profile only restricting his activities to Twitter, on Tuesday, poured cold water on the arrests made by the Police at Forest Mall.
“Arrest six out of hundreds? An absolute bad joke!@jbyabs used to have Prison Farms Tractor; Mobuku, Rimwi, etc! Why not take these suicidal souls there to grow food for export? Or take them to build extra structures in school spaces to protect school kids from Covid!” he wrote on his @sejudav twitter handle.
However, the commissioner general of prisons, Dr Johnson Byabashaija, replied to his tweet, saying the revellers can only go to the Farms after conviction and sentencing.
But Sejusa tweeted again, saying that too can easily be handled. “Upon the declaration of state of emergency, the rights and freedoms… may be suspended. But even without a state of emergency, we could designate some of your farms quarantine centres! Where they grow their food,” he said.
