KAMPALA — A joint security team has on Tuesday conducted a search at the home of detained journalist and NBS Television news anchor Samson Kasumba.
The search at his Naalya based home has been conducted by police, and was still going on by afternoon.
“I can confirm that Samson [Kasumba] was arrested last night. He’s being led to his home for a search. No one knows why he’s being searched before he even records a statement,” fellow news anchor Sheila Nduhukire wrote on Twitter.
“Samson Kasumba was arrested on his way home shortly after the NBS LIVE at 9 bulletin. We are doing our best to engage all relevant stakeholders as the cause of his arrest is unknown” NBS Television said via Twitter.
Uganda Journalist Association (UJA) President, Bashir Kazibwe also confirmed Mr. Kasumba’s arrest and said “we following up the matter” in a view is securing his freedom.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango in a phone interview said he will address the press later at Uganda Media Center.
However, media reports quoting sources within security circles indicate the vocal journalist was arrested following his critical social media posts on government related to Coronavirus
“His posts completely undermined government and our efforts to fight COVID. These people like Kasumba forget that they are TV personalities that have a following. And anything they saw has an impact on the public,” said one of the online site quoting sources wrote.
Uganda on Monday April 20, reported ten more COVID-19 recovered patients, raising the tally of recoveries to 38, against 18 active cases.
State Minister for Primary Health Care, Joyce Moriku presided over the discharge of the patients, that included five children from the Watoto Choir, three of their attendants, one boda boda rider from Kasubi and one from Kalangala at Entebbe Grade B hospital.
With no reported deaths so far, the Ministry of Health said in a statement that all active cases are in stable condition at designated COVID-19 treatment centres.
Since the outbreak of this pandemic in the country, the Government has employed several directives to contain it, the recent one being the mandatory use of face masks in public and in multi-family compounds.
In addition to self-distancing and frequent washing of hands, general citizens are continuously urged to report COVID-19 symptoms such as dry cough, high fever and shortness of breath as early as possible.