I have a local dog at home. His name is Gabby. I named him after an Arsenal’s football club player called “Gabriel”, nicknamed “Big Gabby”, a tough defender for Arsenal football club in England.
Gabby is approximately one year and seven months old. He is highly energetic and exhibits playful behaviour, often running and disrupting objects within the home. I acquired Gabby at an early age, prior to weaning. I like Gabby so much. I always make sure he is fed. This made him like me and generally responsive to my commands.
Recently, however, Gabby developed a habit of escaping whenever the compound gate is left open. In response, I constructed a cage to confine him during the day and set him free at night. This new development caused noticeable distress. When confined, Gabby barked frequently and actively sought opportunities to escape. Each morning, returning him to the cage became more difficult.
One morning, I woke up as usual to put Gabby in his cage, but to my surprise, my attempt to confine Gabby was met with unexpected aggression. Whenever I tried to catch him, he barked, growled, and tried to bite me. I was disappointed by his behaviour. I tried commanding him as usual to come to me and sit down, but he ran away. I followed him, and he charged toward me. In reaction, I threw sandals at him and used a chair defensively. My actions annoyed Gabby and made him even more rebellious.
In an effort to calm the situation, I sought an alternative approach. I left to the kitchen and retrieved some leftover food. Upon seeing the food, Gabby’s behaviour changed-he started wagging his tail and approached me calmly. I placed the food inside the cage and called him to follow me. Gabby followed me but refused to enter the cage. Gabby lingered around the cage for a moment and then went inside to eat. I immediately shut the door behind him.
After the incident with Gabby, I opened my phone and started viewing statuses on WhatsApp. I came across a post from one of my mentors, a judicial officer in Arua City. It read: “Today, I saw two prisoners leaving court premises in jubilation upon being released… The feeling of being free!”
Then I immediately flashed back to what had happened with my dog, Gabby’s behaviour made me reflect on the concept of liberty. The drive for freedom appears to be inherent, observed in both animals and human beings. Everyone wants and loves to be free. Just imagine how an animal was barking at me and fighting to protect its liberty. What would a human being do to be free?
Personal liberty is a fundamental right that is inherent in every human being by virtue of their humanity. No one loves to be restrained arbitrarily or kept where he has no freedom of choice.
In the Ugandan context, the right to personal liberty is a fundamental pillar of the nation’s constitutional democracy. Article 23 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda explicitly guarantees this right. The Constitution of Uganda stipulates that deprivation of personal liberty is permissible only under tightly defined legal parameters-such as executing a lawful court sentence or the arrest of a suspect based on reasonable criminal suspicion.
Despite these constitutional safeguards, reports of unlawful detention persist in contemporary Uganda. For example, security forces routinely keep people past the legal 48-hour limit without charging them in court, State unidentified armed operatives target Opposition figures and activists, holding them outside formal legal channels. There is a hunger for liberty.
The right to personal liberty must not be abused nor be derogated arbitrarily or subjected to unjustified limitation. They must be respected and preserved in accordance with the constitutional provisions.
You will never understand the importance of personal liberty or hear the cry of another person yearning for his/her liberty until yours is taken.