John Bosco Ariong’s children have asked government to stop people from rioting so as not to lose more innocent lives.
At a requiem mass for the fallen police officer at Christ the King Church on Friday, Michael Emulu, who spoke on behalf of Ariong’s eight children, said continued rioting would only lead to more deaths. Emulu is a senior five student at Kyambogo College in Kampala.
Ariong was reportedly stoned to death around Mini Price in downtown Kampala on Wednesday, during riots that followed the arrest of opposition politicians including FDC leader Dr Kiiza Besigye and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.
Dr Moses Byaruhanga, the acting head of police medical services who was also at Christ the King Church, dismissed claims that Ariong’s body had gunshot wounds. He told mourners that the 48 year old police officer’s skull and brain were crushed after being hit with a heavy blunt object thrown from above.
Okoth Ochola, the Deputy Inspector General of Police said Ariong’s death has drawn battle lines to fight what he called lawlessness in the country. Ochola related the Wednesday incident to the death of six police officers in 1990, who were killed during Muslim riots at Old Kampala Mosque. He said Ariong’s death has re-energised the police and it is going to be more resolute in handling lawlessness.
Ochola said while Erias Lukwago claims to have written to police seeking permission to hold a rally on Wednesday, the force is yet to receive the Lord Mayor’s letter.
The emotional mass was attended by political leaders including Members of Parliament. Soroti Municipality MP Mike Mukula told mourners that the death of Ariong has made him change his mind on bail conditions. He said he is now going to support President Museveni’s proposal to amend the constitution and deny bail to suspects on cases like Ariong’s. He described Ariong as a person of peace.
Mukula had, however, earlier called on police to be calm and not to act out of anger and go for revenge following the violent death of one of their own.
Mukula and Kampala Resident City Commissioner, Alice Muwanguzi blamed opposition politicians including Besigye, Kawempe Mayor Mubarak Munyagwa, Kampala woman MP Nabilah Naggayi, and Lord Mayor Lukwago among others for the mess that led to Ariong’s death.
Mukula said the time has come for government to rethink its strategy to deal with walk to work protests, noting that the constitution should be amended to deal with disorder in the country.
The former state minister for health also attacked Activists for Change for misleading people by telling them to walk to work and yet at the same time they are blaming government for lack of jobs in the country.
Born in 1953, Ariong joined the police force in 1986, rising through the ranks to become an Assistant Inspector of Police.
At the time of his death, he was the officer in charge of Kafumbe Mukasa Road Police Post in Kampala Central.
Ariong will be buried on Saturday in Kumi district.
