Written by NORMAN MIWAMBO
The United Kingdom now says it cant release the report into the murder for fear of jeopardising its diplomatic relations with Uganda
LONDON British Metropolitan Police, the Scotland Yard, has refused to release the 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 government and 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 former BBC correspondent, Henry Gombya, in whose house Kayiira was gunned down, 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.
He quoted section (1) of the Act that states: 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.
The refusal is the first official indication from the Scotland Yard that it has never made public its findings on the murder. In the run-up to the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala, DP released what it claimed was a Scotland Yard report on Kayiiras murder. It was, however, disputed by the government which published its own version in The New Vision.
While DPs version appeared to implicate the NRM in Kayiiras murder, while 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 had been released, it would have dented relations between Britain and the NRM government.
Young further wrote:
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. Upon getting Scotland Yards position, Gombya said he doubted 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.
The United Kingdom now says it cant release the report into the murder for fear of jeopardising its diplomatic relations with Uganda
LONDON British Metropolitan Police, the Scotland Yard, has refused to release the 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 government and 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 former BBC correspondent, Henry Gombya, in whose house Kayiira was gunned down, 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.
He quoted section (1) of the Act that states: 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.
The refusal is the first official indication from the Scotland Yard that it has never made public its findings on the murder. In the run-up to the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala, DP released what it claimed was a Scotland Yard report on Kayiiras murder. It was, however, disputed by the government which published its own version in The New Vision.
While DPs version appeared to implicate the NRM in Kayiiras murder, while 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 had been released, it would have dented relations between Britain and the NRM government.
Young further wrote:
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. Upon getting Scotland Yards position, Gombya said he doubted 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.
