KAYUNGA — Former State Minister for ICT — currently Kayunga District Woman MP Ida Nantaba has denied causing the arrest of popular musician Gerald Kiweewa— a local folk singer, saying she has no copyright to the name.
In an interview with a local television on Friday July 24, MP Nantaba said there is no reason why she has to drag an artiste to police who only channeled his message through a song.
“If Kiweewa finds using the name Nantaba in his songs one of the ways through which he can bring food to the table for his family, l have no problem with him,” Nantaba said. “I don’t have ownership of the name ‘Nantaba’ because more than 10,000 people in the country are called so”.
“Before Kiweewa, many musicians have sung about the name, like Bobi Wine sang about Specioza,” Nantaba said, asking police to clair her name.
“Let police tell the world who reported the case, what’s the case file number and where was the case registered from.”
Security forces arrested Kiweewa on Thursday after he released a song dubbed Nantaba, which detectives say it is offensive to people they didn’t name.
In the song, Kiweewa talks about the reasons he suspects led to the severe beating and alleged torture of Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament Francis Zaake while he was detained by security forces following his arrest for distributing food relief to his constituents during the lockdown to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
The video of the song had gone viral on social media and popular among supporters of People Power Movement led by Kyaddondo East legislator Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine.
Several Musicians had linked the former minister to have masterminded the arrest.
The spokesperson of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Charles Twiine, said Kiweewa, arrested Thursday faces offensive communication.