While addressing the nation at the annual judges’ conference in Kampala, Museveni showed the need to re-install death penalty if the country is to end criminality. He also told judges to do away with lenient punishments.
“For us in our societies we believe in the law of Moses, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, if you interfere with that you will see the instability you will cause here. In fact, I have been making a mistake of not signing death sentences but I am now repenting completely from that mistake,” Museveni said.
Mr Museveni says his “leniency” has been taken advantage of
Mr Museveni said that his “Christian background” had prevented him from going ahead with executions, but this “leniency” was taken advantage of.
“I have not been assenting to hanging of convicts because of my Christian background but being lenient is causing people to think they can cause harm and get away with it,” the president said.
On people who use medicine for preserving dead bodies (formalin) for meat in butchers, Musevni said judges were too lenient for the 8 month punishment given to them.
“There are those putting medicine for dead bodies [formalin] in meat, this is so shaming actually, but the judge only gave them 8 months! If it were up to me, it should have been about 20 years or death,” Museveni added.
In the past years crime has risen, with over 20 women murdered in four months in the Entebbe and capital Kampala last year. Some critics say police put more effort into targeting President Museveni’s opponents than into catching criminals.
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