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Sserwanjja (left)
BBC journalists arrested, NBS TV’s Sserwanjja wanted
February 7, 2019
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Three
journalists attached to the British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) in
Uganda and Vivian Nakaliika, the wife of NBS TV news anchor, Solomon
Sserwanja are in police custody. The journalists are Godfrey
Badebe, Kasim Muhammad and Rashid Kaweesa.
Security operatives are still searching for Sserwanja. Robert Ssempala, the Chairman of the Human Rights Network for Journalist (HRNJ), broke the news of the arrest of the journalists.
“Last night security operatives surrounded the home of Solomon Sserwanja, a journalist with NBS TV. However he was not in the house and arrested his wife Vivian Nakaliika Sserwanja,” Ssempala said.
The arrest of the journalists, sources say, is linked to an investigation for the BBC that Serwanjja were collaborating on. His wife has been questioned and recorded a statement.
“Police has also arrested two other journalists working with BBC. They are being detained at the CPS in Kampala. The police commander for Kampala Metropolitan Area, Moses Kafeero has told HRNJ-UGANDA that it’s a long story.”
Information obtained by URN shows that the three journalists were picked up from different areas in Kampala last night by operatives from the Internal Security Organisation-ISO.
According to security sources, the four are accused of working with wrong elements from foreign entities. They are said to have bought drugs worth sh5 million from government health facilities and were scheduled to buy from Kiruddu Hospital.
A source privy to the operation, says some of the drugs were found in Sserwajja’s home, which explains the arrest of his wife. Vivian Nakaliika is a Communication Officer in Charge of Health Promotion and Behavioral Change in Ministry of Health.
The four suspects were still in the office of Joshua Tusingwire, the Officer in charge of Criminal Investigations Central Police station (CPS) Kampala together with their Lawyer, Medard Ssegona.
Written by URN The head of State House Health
Monitoring Unit Dr Jackson Ojera has confirmed that they were contacted
by a team from BBC and NBS TV prior to an investigation into the alleged
trade of government-regulated pharmaceuticals on the black market.
The yet-to-be aired investigation landed BBC journalists Godfrey Badebye and Kassim Mohamed, their fixer Rashid Kaweesa and their driver Shafiq Kisaame a night in cells at the Central Police Station (CPS) after they were arrested on Wednesday while attempting to purchasing some government drugs as undercover agents.
Upon interrogation according to police, the journalists told investigators that they were recording an investigations into the alleged sale and purchase of government drugs by government officials that are later sold to neighbouring South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo and private clinics in the country. The journalists reportedly disclosed that they had bought some drugs and stored them at the residence NBS TV news anchor, Solomon Serwanjja in Mukono.
Police and operatives of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), then raided Serwanjja’s home where they arrested his wife, Vivian Nakaliika who is also the communications officer in charge of health promotion and behavioural change in the ministry of Health.
Several boxes of malaria, Hepatitis B drugs were also recovered. Possession of such classified drugs is punishable by a fine of up to Shs 2 million and up to five years in prison, according to provisions of the National Drug Policy and Authority Act. The journalists have today been released on police bond with charges of illegal possession of government drugs slapped
Dr Ojera said just as they were still studying the objectives and motives of the investigation and the proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the team of journalists, the journalists went ahead and started the project.
“They sought audience with us and we guided them. We cannot, and I repeat, we cannot start anything with them until we have everything in black and white in form of MOU. We were in the process of drafting the MOU, giving comment here and there and to see how we can work together. Before were finished reviewing the MOU, it is yesterday when we’re seeing now information in the media. Little did we know that they had started their project. We are in no way part of what they were doing. We were in the preliminary, we were cautious enough." said Ojera.
"We had included in the MOU that if we are to go into any partnership or corroboration, then there are certain things they have to allow us to first see before they publish," Dr Ojera said.
The Health Monitoring Unit was established by President Museveni in 2009 as a strategic response to challenges in the health sector such as poor service delivery. The unit is a department under State House that is charged with improving health services by monitoring the management of essential medicines and service delivery.
POLICE IN U-TURN
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga in a statement, encouraged the journalists to continue with their investigations. Yesterday Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said the journalists should have informed police about the investigation to avoid trouble with the security. Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo yesterday said police had told him that the journalists were arrested because they were working on a story that was going to cast government in bad light.
Below is the full police statement
The Police have today, Friday, 8th February 2019, released on bond three suspects who turned out to be journalists and a one Vivian Nakalika who were arrested yesterday, 7th February, 2019, on actionable intelligence surrounding the alleged purchase and sell of government drugs.
The three journalists included; Godfrey Badebye, Shafiq Kisame, Rashid Kisame, and Vivian Nakalika in whose home the alleged illegally acquired government drugs were recovered from. The statement of Solomon Serwanja, a journalist working with NBS, who appeared today at CPS Kampala, has been recorded. He was thereafter, released on police bond.
We are aware of the important role the media plays in investigative
reporting, debates, discussion, background and analysis, as well as new
stories; not withstanding their journalistic duty to obey the ordinary
criminal law, in the course of their duties, and we highly commend them
for their tireless efforts in fighting corruption.
We would like to further acknowledge that Next Media in partnership with local correspondents from the BBC, while working on a tip, independently planned and carried out their operations surrounding the illegal sell of government drugs in selected government hospitals in Arua, Gulu and Kirudu. It is clear that their motive was to show how easy it was to buy government drugs and its conduit.
We do encourage them to continue with their documentary programme and achieve their intended objective of exposing their targets, to help prevent such occurrences in future.
The police has created a task team which is building further on the available facts on file, to establish the culprits behind the alleged theft and sale of government drugs, in these government hospitals and will ensure all suspects that are criminally liable are brought to book.
We are also closely working with the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution for legal guidance on as to whether the journalists mentioned above, in their quest for a story of essential importance to society could have breached any rules on the acquisition of government drugs and its safety considerations or not.
Security operatives are still searching for Sserwanja. Robert Ssempala, the Chairman of the Human Rights Network for Journalist (HRNJ), broke the news of the arrest of the journalists.
“Last night security operatives surrounded the home of Solomon Sserwanja, a journalist with NBS TV. However he was not in the house and arrested his wife Vivian Nakaliika Sserwanja,” Ssempala said.
The arrest of the journalists, sources say, is linked to an investigation for the BBC that Serwanjja were collaborating on. His wife has been questioned and recorded a statement.
“Police has also arrested two other journalists working with BBC. They are being detained at the CPS in Kampala. The police commander for Kampala Metropolitan Area, Moses Kafeero has told HRNJ-UGANDA that it’s a long story.”
Information obtained by URN shows that the three journalists were picked up from different areas in Kampala last night by operatives from the Internal Security Organisation-ISO.
According to security sources, the four are accused of working with wrong elements from foreign entities. They are said to have bought drugs worth sh5 million from government health facilities and were scheduled to buy from Kiruddu Hospital.
A source privy to the operation, says some of the drugs were found in Sserwajja’s home, which explains the arrest of his wife. Vivian Nakaliika is a Communication Officer in Charge of Health Promotion and Behavioral Change in Ministry of Health.
The four suspects were still in the office of Joshua Tusingwire, the Officer in charge of Criminal Investigations Central Police station (CPS) Kampala together with their Lawyer, Medard Ssegona.
State House confirms knowledge of BBC, NBS investigation
The yet-to-be aired investigation landed BBC journalists Godfrey Badebye and Kassim Mohamed, their fixer Rashid Kaweesa and their driver Shafiq Kisaame a night in cells at the Central Police Station (CPS) after they were arrested on Wednesday while attempting to purchasing some government drugs as undercover agents.
Upon interrogation according to police, the journalists told investigators that they were recording an investigations into the alleged sale and purchase of government drugs by government officials that are later sold to neighbouring South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo and private clinics in the country. The journalists reportedly disclosed that they had bought some drugs and stored them at the residence NBS TV news anchor, Solomon Serwanjja in Mukono.
Police and operatives of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), then raided Serwanjja’s home where they arrested his wife, Vivian Nakaliika who is also the communications officer in charge of health promotion and behavioural change in the ministry of Health.
Several boxes of malaria, Hepatitis B drugs were also recovered. Possession of such classified drugs is punishable by a fine of up to Shs 2 million and up to five years in prison, according to provisions of the National Drug Policy and Authority Act. The journalists have today been released on police bond with charges of illegal possession of government drugs slapped
Dr Ojera said just as they were still studying the objectives and motives of the investigation and the proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the team of journalists, the journalists went ahead and started the project.
“They sought audience with us and we guided them. We cannot, and I repeat, we cannot start anything with them until we have everything in black and white in form of MOU. We were in the process of drafting the MOU, giving comment here and there and to see how we can work together. Before were finished reviewing the MOU, it is yesterday when we’re seeing now information in the media. Little did we know that they had started their project. We are in no way part of what they were doing. We were in the preliminary, we were cautious enough." said Ojera.
"We had included in the MOU that if we are to go into any partnership or corroboration, then there are certain things they have to allow us to first see before they publish," Dr Ojera said.
The Health Monitoring Unit was established by President Museveni in 2009 as a strategic response to challenges in the health sector such as poor service delivery. The unit is a department under State House that is charged with improving health services by monitoring the management of essential medicines and service delivery.
POLICE IN U-TURN
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga in a statement, encouraged the journalists to continue with their investigations. Yesterday Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said the journalists should have informed police about the investigation to avoid trouble with the security. Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo yesterday said police had told him that the journalists were arrested because they were working on a story that was going to cast government in bad light.
Below is the full police statement
The Police have today, Friday, 8th February 2019, released on bond three suspects who turned out to be journalists and a one Vivian Nakalika who were arrested yesterday, 7th February, 2019, on actionable intelligence surrounding the alleged purchase and sell of government drugs.
The three journalists included; Godfrey Badebye, Shafiq Kisame, Rashid Kisame, and Vivian Nakalika in whose home the alleged illegally acquired government drugs were recovered from. The statement of Solomon Serwanja, a journalist working with NBS, who appeared today at CPS Kampala, has been recorded. He was thereafter, released on police bond.
We would like to further acknowledge that Next Media in partnership with local correspondents from the BBC, while working on a tip, independently planned and carried out their operations surrounding the illegal sell of government drugs in selected government hospitals in Arua, Gulu and Kirudu. It is clear that their motive was to show how easy it was to buy government drugs and its conduit.
We do encourage them to continue with their documentary programme and achieve their intended objective of exposing their targets, to help prevent such occurrences in future.
The police has created a task team which is building further on the available facts on file, to establish the culprits behind the alleged theft and sale of government drugs, in these government hospitals and will ensure all suspects that are criminally liable are brought to book.
We are also closely working with the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution for legal guidance on as to whether the journalists mentioned above, in their quest for a story of essential importance to society could have breached any rules on the acquisition of government drugs and its safety considerations or not.
