Top Radio presenter and morning show host Richard Kasule popularly known as Mugagga Kamagu was picked up in the morning at about 9 pm outside the Top Radio and TV offices, shortly after he had concluded his daily morning show.
NTV obtained amateur phone video showing the radio presenter being picked up by uniformed policemen who put him onto a police patrol pick up truck and whisked him away,
Wandegeya Division Police Commander Joseph Nsabimana led the arresting team. He, however, disappeared after realizing that journalists were capturing the arrest. Kasule’s co-host on the Top Radio Morning shows Ronald Mubiru declined to comment on the arrest.
Top Radio Manager Dunstan Busulwa confirmed that the radio presenter had been detained at Wandegeya Police Station. When journalists went to Wandegeya, they were turned away at the police station. Busulwa says the Police did not give him the reason for Kasule’s arrest but Police Spokesperson Emilian Kayima later told NTV that Kasule is accused of defamation
The Coordinator of the Human Rights Network for Journalists Robert Sempala condemned the Kasule's arrest and that of other journalists before him.
He asked security agencies to change their tactics.
The Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative Dr Livingstone Ssewanyana also spoke out against the arrest of journalists, Rev Isaac Bakka, Stanley Ndawula and New Vision’s Charles Etukuri. He says this is intimidation and stands in the way of media independence and freedoms.
Later on, Monday evening, Justice Lydia Mugambe of the Civil Division of the High Court ruled in favour of Vision Group following their application for Habeas Corpus demanding that security agencies produce journalist Charles Etukuri dead or alive.
Etukuri was picked up outside the New Vision Offices last Tuesday by men whose identities are still unknown and detained in an unknown location.
But in the evening, New Vision tweeted that Etukuri had been released.