Police have arrested supporters of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) following a demonstration against the arrest and trial of former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye.
The protesters, led by FDC Katonga leaders, were heading to the Kenyan High Commission to demand an explanation regarding the alleged abduction of Dr. Kizza Besigye and his colleague, Obeid Lutale.
Dr. Besigye and his co-accused, Hajji Lutale Kamulegeya, have been formally charged with four counts, including the possession of firearms at Riverside Apartments in Nairobi, Kenya, and holding meetings in Greece and Switzerland with the alleged intent to undermine the security of the Ugandan army. They have since been remanded to Luzira Prison.
The arrested include Kira Municipality MP Ssemujju Nganda, Ingrid Tulinawe among other leaders. The group was arrested a few meters from their faction Katonga Road offices.
The demonstrators contest the narration by government that Dr. Besigye and Hajji Kamulegeya were kidnapped after their plot acquiring arms to overthrow the Kampala regime leaked.
Last week, Internal Affairs Minister Gen. Kahinda Otafiire stated that Dr. Besigye left Uganda and entered Kenya without a firearm. Gen. Otafiire claimed that there was no way security at Entebbe International Airport would allow the former colonel to board a plane while armed. He further revealed that his investigation at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport showed Besigye entered Nairobi unarmed.
“Besigye left Entebbe without a gun and entered Jomo Kenyatta International Airport without one. So, where did he get the gun from? As to what happened thereafter, we don’t know. As Minister of Internal Affairs, I had to verify this by contacting Nairobi,” said Gen. Otafiire.
The minister, who is also a former Director-General of the External Security Organisation (ESO), is known for speaking his mind freely. His statements contradict claims by both Kenyan and Ugandan security operatives, who reported finding a pistol at Besigye’s Riverside Apartments in Nairobi.
Gen. Otafiire’s assertions were echoed by Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, who stated that her husband has not owned a firearm in over 20 years. “He does not own a gun. I live with him, and there are no guns in our house. These are trumped-up charges aimed at stopping him from his work as an opposition leader, opposing the government democratically and peacefully,” Byanyima said.
