{UAH} Govt Cancels Mass Burial for Kasese Victims

Govt Cancels Mass Burial for Kasese Victims

2 Dec 2016, 16:22 Comments323 Views Kasese, UgandaSecurity Breaking news

In short
Mwesigye, speaking on phone from his home in Kilembe, said that government is envisaging a cemetery where each of the dead would be buried in a separate grave. He adds that there is still room for families to identify relatives from the pile of dead bodies at the mortuary.

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The planned mass burial of persons who were killed in weekend clashes at Rwenzururu Kingdom Palace has been cancelled. 

Over 60 people died when armed security personnel launched an offensive on the palace while searching for people suspected to be involved in attacks in Rwenzori region. Most of the deceased were guards at the Rwenzururu Kingdom Palace. 

Local leaders and security officials had last evening resolved that unclaimed bodies would be buried in a mass grave at the district headquarters today. However, this afternoon, Kasese Resident District Commissioner Maj. James Mwesigye said that they have received instructions to cancel the burial.

Mwesigye, speaking on phone from his home in Kilembe, said that government is envisaging a cemetery where each of the dead would be buried in a separate grave. He adds that there is still room for families to identify relatives from the pile of dead bodies at the mortuary.

Kasese district chairperson Geoffrey Sibendire Bigogo says the contradictions from government are disturbing. Bigogo could not give details to clarify the statement saying he was attending a meeting with leaders from the Forum for Democratic Change-FDC party.

However, a section of relatives expressed unease with the delay in sending off the deceased persons. 

Josephat Mbusa, a resident of Bundibugyo, whose niece Harriet Kabugho has been a Royal Guard at the Palace for nearly four years, says government is not being clear to the families. Mbusa says that he and a brother arrived in Kasese on Thursday and have since failed to identify the body of the deceased. They would however wish to see her remains buried. 
 
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Remegio Sibyalheghana, a businessman who cancelled the day's work to witness the burial adds that the continued storage of dead bodies is uncalled for. 
 
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There are reports that the government resisted the burial of the bodies on district land. The district leaders had identified space at the district headquarters in Rukoki just near the newly established army barracks.

Meanwhile, relatives of those feared dead continued to search for the bodies at the mortuary with three of them identified and taken away by midday. It is not clear to know how many bodies are still in the mortuary by the time of filing this story.

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