Rackara says whereas other children are enjoying the company of their parents, especially their father, and being shown love, they have had to endure tough life of stigmatization as they have no father figure.
The sons of former rebel Lord’s Resistance Army-LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo alias Latoni have expressed dissatisfaction with the snail pace trial of their father.
Kowyelo’s eldest son Moses Rackara Loketo, 26, told the Uganda Radio Network in an interview that their father has been in custody for so long because of the government's failure to expeditiously conclude his trial.
The warlord, who is facing 93 counts of war crimes and crimes against Humanity at the International Crimes Division-ICD of the high court has been in custody since 2009.
He is accused of sexual violence, murder, hostage-taking and kidnapping, robbery, and pillaging among others allegedly committed between 1993 and 2005 in Pabbo Sub-county, Amuru District.
Rackara however alleges the delay in handing his father justice after more than a decade behind bars is deliberate to ensure he doesn’t walk out of prison.
Luo
//Cue in: “wan macalo lutino
Cue out:...tiye ka cwer.”//
Translation
“…As children of Kwoyelo, we are not happy with what the government is doing, from 2009 till now 2022, we are seeing as if this court is trying to tame our father’s mindset but he won’t be allowed to return home because even us are not being allowed to see him or attend his court session…,” he said.
Rackara says whereas other children are enjoying the company of their parents, especially their father, and being shown love, they have had to endure tough life of stigmatization as they have no father figure.
He notes that the absence of their father in their lives has made them unable to attend school since no one including the government is willing to support them.
Luo
//cue in: “Gamente kikume bene…
Cue out:…I buc ni.”//
Translation
“…the government isn’t paying attention that Kwoyelo’s children we are there, right now we are suffering, other children are near their father, while our father isn’t with us, the advice he gives us would have made us grow. At the moment, all of Kwoyelo’s children are out of school, people also envy us, they keep telling us we shall suffer like our father who is in Prison," he said.
He says his father is a good man who is being accused of crimes that could have been committed by his subordinates without his orders, adding that the government should hold the elusive LRA leader, Joseph Kony accountable.
His younger brother John Opototap, 22, says the absence of their father in their lives has left them vulnerable to stigmatization in the community that has forced them to relocate from their mother’s home to stay with their paternal grandmother.
He says the delayed trial of their father is adding more suffering to their lives, arguing that the available land they have is being forcefully taken from them. Opototap called on the government to ensure the trial is expedited to determine the fate of their father.
Both Opototap and Rackara were born in captivity but returned home in 2000 along with their mother. Early this week, the brothers along with Kwoyelo’s mother endured a more than 70 Km journey on foot from their village in Acut Cama in Pogo Parish in Amuru District to Gulu City to attend Kwoyelo’s trial.
Kwoyelo’s trial hearing resumed on Monday at the Gulu High Court before a panel of three High Court justices comprising Stephen Mubiru, Duncan Gaswaga, and Michael Elubu. The trial will end on Friday next week.
The state prosecution is expected to present 15 prosecution witnesses to testify against Kwoyelo. Already 26 out of 120 lined up by the state have testified against Kwoyelo since the trial commenced in 2018.
The International Crimes Division Deputy Registrar Beatrice Stella Atingu on Tuesday admitted to URN in an interview that Kwoyelo’s trial had taken long due to the nature of the case and the crime committed, which demanded lengthy processes.
