The Inter Religious Council of Uganda – IRCU has withdrawn from the distribution of the Twaweza Calendars after they were impounded by the Uganda Police over a message the force claims was meant to incite violence.
IRCU made their withdrawal in a February 20th letter to the Twaweza Program Manager, Morrison Rwakakamba.
Last week, the Uganda Police Force impounded a consignment of 700,000copies of the Twaweza 2012 calendars over a message police says was inciting the public to violence.
Twaweza is a citizen centered initiative aimed at causing social and political change in the East African region.
Soft copies of the calendars seen by URN contain images of leaders such as President Yoweri Museveni, FDC leader Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, Leader of Opposition Nandala Mafabi and Kitgum woman MP Betty Anywar.
Others are MPs Theodore Sekikuubo, Frank Tumwebaze, Gerald Karuhanga and Mohammed Nsereko. The calendars also have portraits of personalities including former South African president Nelson Mandela, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and his predecessor Kofi Annan, US President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II and musician Lady Gaga among others.
Below the portraits is a message: “Will you wait all year for someone else to solve your problems? Will you take action today?”
According to the letter, the Secretary General IRCU, Joshua Kitakule says IRCU had withdrawn after consulting their board which did not approve of the message on the calendars.
The letter of the withdrawal was delivered to Twaweza on Monday just days after police had impounded the calendars at the Uganda border town of Mutukula.
Morrison Rwakakamba confirmed having received the IRCU letter.
//Cue in: “IRCU…
Cue out: …pull out.”//
Morrison said there were arrangements to have the calendars distributed by the New Vision and its sister papers, the Red Paper and its sister papers and the Daily Monitor and its sister papers as inserts to ensure they reach all parts of the country.
Rwakakamba says they are waiting for police to tell them where the calendars are and when they would be released.
When contacted to explain IRCU role in the calendars saga, Kitakule declined to comment and instead referred Uganda Radio Network back to Morrison Rwakakamba.
Kitakule also declined to confirm he had been summoned to the Special Investigations Unit – SIU headquarters in Kireka, where he reportedly recorded a statement.
Kitakule could not even be brought to comment whether it was their board’s practice to first endorse a message before they undertake to distribute this kind of material. Kitakule could also not comment why they waited for police to impound the calendars before they would withdraw from the distribution. Information reaching URN shows that IRCU are also the consignees of the calendars.
Police is still silent on the on-going investigations into the message on the Calendars.
