Former parliamentary speaker flees to Uganda

The Ugandan authorities say they are searching for the former Rwandan speaker of parliament, Joseph Sebarenzi Kabuye, who fled to Uganda over the weekend. “We are looking for him, he may be hiding among the population,” Uganda’s Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Noble Mayombo told IRIN on Wednesday. Without specifying whether Uganda would hand Sebarenzi over to the Rwandan authorities, Mayombo said “the whole issue will be handled in such a way that the interests of both countries are not jeopardised”. The former Rwandan speaker was forced to resign on 7 January amid accusations of mismanagement and political infighting. He was later expelled from parliament at the request of his Liberal Party. Rwandan Prosecutor-General Gerald Gahima told IRIN on Wednesday that there were no legal proceedings nor any investigations against Sebarenzi. “He has no case to answer and he is free to go where he wants,” Gahima said. “The matter is being dramatised for no good reason.”