The Late AIGP Andrew Felix Kawesi(Right) and the scene of gruesome murder (left).
The registrar of the High Court at Kampala has today morning issued an order barring all journalists in the country from publishing anything concerning the gruesome death of the former AIGP Andrew Felix Kawesa.
“An order is hereby issued against the Respondents and their agents from publishing any stories/information in as far as the murder of AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi until the main application is heard and determined”, the order signed by the Registrar reads.
Sources at the High Court intimated to us that the main application has been fixed to 21st August, 2017 and therefore the order restrains the media houses from publishing anything relation to the death of Kaweesi till then when Court may determine otherwise.
However, security sources told that that the order’s intention is to gag the media from publishing any information in as far as Kaweesi’s death is concerned well aware that by the time the main application is heard in August, security investigations will have been completed.
“The intention is to gag the media so that security agencies can get a breather and carry out their investigation with no pressure. Otherwise, I doubt that even the IGP himself is interested in the whole fight with the media”, a source told us at point of anonymity.
The order comes just a day after the Inspector of Police moved Government to drag a section of media houses to the Courts of the Law seeking for an immediate ban until police and other security agencies’ investigations are complete.
The order which had intended to ban specific media houses; Red Pepper and other online news sites; Chimpreports, the investigator, the Ugandan plus their editors in chiefs has however been stretched to include all media houses and social media pundits .
Through the government’s, Principle Legal Advisor (Attorney General) Gen. Kayihura had petitioned Court for orders barring the said media houses from further publication of any such news in as far AIG Kaweesi’s death is concerned till security investigations are complete.
In an affidavit sworn by Gen Kale Kayihura, the Inspector of Police says that continuous publication of these stories includes confidential internal correspondence amongst security agencies on the murder investigations of AIGP Kaweesi and that it is injurious to the ongoing investigations and more so bound to jeopardize the security of Uganda.
Gen. Kayaihura is in particular outraged by Red Pepper publication of 18th April 2017, where a missive report about the murder investigation is reported with a promise of published more details in subsequent publications.
“That it is in interest of the ongoing investigation and national security that an interim order doth issue retraining the respondents from publishing information relating to the investigation which information is confidential, publication of which is likely to jeopardize the work of Uganda Police Force and other security agencies in Uganda but also threatens to interfere with the work on high profile criminal investigations by the security agencies until disposal of the main suit” part of the affidavit sworn by Gen. Kayihura reads in part.
