Parliament has tasked government to clarify the circumstances under which former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, were forcibly taken from Kenya.
Last week, Dr. Besigye and Hajji Kamulegeya were 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.
Speaker Anita Among issued the directive after Kira Municipality MP, Ssemujju Nganda, raised concerns over the manner in which Besigye, one of the promoters of the newly formed political party, People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) was abducted from Kenya, where he had traveled to attend a book launch by former Justice Minister, Martha Karua.
Ssemujju also called on Parliament to join other organizations in condemning Besigye’s abduction from Kenya. “The abduction of Besigye has been widely condemned by the United Nations, lawyers, and human rights defenders. Even the Uganda Human Rights Commission has condemned his abduction and called for his immediate release. This Parliament should also demand an explanation from Kenya and ask whether it still subscribes to the East African Community (EAC) brotherhood,” he said.
Hamson Obua urged Parliament’s leadership not to rush into condemning Besigye’s abduction, noting that Besigye’s case will be supported by evidence presented by the prosecution, and its outcome will be publicly known. He also declined to comment further on the matter, as it is still under court proceedings.
“I am aware that the issue raised by Ssemujju is a matter before the court, as established by the UPDF Act. What I can confirm on behalf of the government based on publicly available information, is that Besigye was arrested, produced in court, charged, and remanded to Luzira Prison,” Obua stated.
Earlier Internal Affairs Minister, Gen. Kahinda Otafiire has said former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye left Uganda and entered Kenya without a gun.
In an interview with Eagle Online Gen. Otafiire said Dr. Besigye said there is no way security at Entebbe Internal Airport could allow retired Col. Kizza Besigye board a plane while armed. He revealed that his investigation at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport also indicate Besigye entered Nairobi unarmed.
“Besigye left Entebbe without a gun and he entered Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with a gun, 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 by ringing Nairobi?” Gen. Otafiire said.
The minister who is a former External Security Organisation (ESO) Director General is also known for speaking his mind freely contradicts both Kenya and Uganda security operatives that claimed a pistol was found on Besigye at his Riverside apartments in Nairobi.
