Officials from the European Union and United States Embassy in Uganda were allowed to access the home of Dr Kizza Besigye after initially being blocked by police.

After negotiations that involved police guarding Dr Besigye’s house making calls to their superiors, Assistant Inspector General of Police Andrew Felix Kaweesi arrived at the scene and led the officials who included Ambassadors from different European countries into Besigye’s residence. The envoys were asked to leave their vehicles behind

Since Monday Dr Besigye has been under police surveillance at his home access to the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) flag bearer has been limited, with many people including his lawyers, human rights activists being denied access.

Meanwhile, sources say that other lesser mortals who attempted to pass by Dr Besigye’s home were not so lucky as they were reportedly arrested and detained at Kasangati Police Station.

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The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has won most of the council seats in the just-concluded local council elections.

It should be recalled the embattled Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago (Independent) also retained his seat, beating National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) Daniel Kazibwe aka Ragga Dee and Democratic Party’s Issa Kikungwe.

Political observers intimate the FDC majority at City Hall could help Lukwago’s reign as opposed to the previous term where the Lord Mayor was faced with resistance from majority NRM leaning councilors, who controversially ‘impeached’ him.

Among the FDC councilors are: Doreen Nyanjura representing Makerere University, where she replaces long-serving Benard Luyiga and Olive Namazzi for Kyambogo University, who replaces NRM’s Bruhan Byaruhanga.

In Nakawa Division, those who went through include Kennedy Okello, Happy Nasasira, Okwera Mugisha and Alice Amony, who was elected as Female Councilor for Nakawa I.

In Lubaga, Faridah Nakabugo was voted in as Woman councilor for  Lubaga South while Ismail Ddamba is the directly elected councilor for Lubaga South. Abubakar Kawalya is the directly elected councilor for Lubaga North,  while Catherine Nagawa is woman councilor for Lubaga North.
In Kawempe, Rashida Naluwooza was voted in for  Kawempe North,  Muhammed Mutazindwa for Kawempe.

Doreen Sabuka was elected for Makindye West.

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The European Union Election Observer Mission Uganda has asked the Electoral Commission to publish without delay the detailed results from each polling station for the presidential and parliamentary elections online, including scanned copies of the Declaration of Result forms.

According to the EU observers, this will enable voters and the candidates to comprehensively evaluate the results.

Mr. Eduard Kukan, the EOM chief observer said that the Electoral Commission’s accountability is very important in the post electoral environment. He added that steps such as the publication of inclusive information on election results constitute international best practice in the conduct of democratic elections.

‘Pro-active publication of information of public interest is enshrined in international standards to which Uganda has committed itself with the aim of respecting citizens fundamental freedoms and rights,’ Mr kukan wrote in a statement.

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Yoweri Museveni was declared president-elect by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in a highly criticized election that was allegedly marred by vote rigging, voter bribery and the intimidation of opposition supporters and leaders.

Efforts to get a comment from the IEC spokesperson Jotham Taremwa were futile by press time.

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Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Secretary General has said that security agents are looking for his party’s agents to forcefully sign fake declaration forms.

Writing on his Facebook page Nandala Mafabi, the Budadiri West MP-elect said that security agents and NRM functionaries are looking for party agents and FDC leaders across the rural areas of Western, Eastern and Northern Uganda to sign falsified Candidates’ Declaration Result Forms.

‘They are being put on gun point to sign them with either an exchange for money or get arrested for those who refuse. We want to bring this out to the people of Uganda, our neighbors and the international community that we have a very good case against the regime’, wrote Nandala Mafabi, in reference to the forms that are instrumental in determining the winner of the just-concluded presidential elections, won by Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

A strong Museveni critic, Nandala Mafabi, a tough talking politician from Sironko said that security and NRM functionaries are scared and uncomfortable in the middle of a ‘stolen’ election.

“We can only reject these threats to retain our victory and freedom. And the time is now, not again five more years of a stolen election,” he stressed.

Nandala Mafabi said ‘FDC as party is not willing to sit back and watch on more five years of injustice and illegal occupation’.

Contacted for comment the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Jotham Taremwa said he had not heard about the claims, but referred the EagleOnline to either the police or army spokespersons.

However, by press time both were unavailable for comment.

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Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) former presidential candidate Col (rtd) Dr Kizza Besigye has been arrested again by the security agencies, and taken to an unknown place, a senior party official has said.

Harold Kaija, the party’s Deputy Secretary General in charge of Administration, said Dr Besigye was arrested and driven towards Matugga along Bombo Road, after which they lost track of him and his alleged captors.

‘Our President Dr Kizza has been kidnapped. We followed the van heading to Matugga on Bombo Road and we lost them’, Mr Kaija posted on his Facebook wall.

But contacted for comment, police Spokesperson Fred Enanga said that Dr Besigye was at home, safe.

“This guy is just at home and importantly, the police does not kidnap people; whatever we are doing is provided for by the law,” Mr Enanga said by phone today.

He said that the opposition, particularly the FDC had resorted to a smear campaign against the police and cited the recent claim by the party president that the force had carried away their office equipment including ‘tally sheets’ that were supposed to be used (for the election petition purposes).

“That is their (FDC) propaganda against the police; they keep using excuses to shield their weaknesses,” Mr Enanga said in reference to Mr Kaija’s kidnap claims of Dr Besigye by police, and added: “That is loose talk to gain sympathies; let them file a complaint.”

Dr Besigye, a candidate in the just-concluded presidential elections, is contesting the results and has since run into trouble with the police, which have arrested him every day since the results were announced on Saturday, February 20.

On Election Day, February 18, Dr Besigye was arrested in Naguru, where he had reportedly gone to deter an alleged rigging at a police facility.

Meanwhile, the police contend that the continued arrest of Besigye is to deter him from causing violence in the city which would otherwise lead to loss of property and lives.

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A group of activists from Human Rights Watch were yesterday blocked by Uganda Police from accessing the home of opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye in Kasangati, a Kampala suburb.

“Dr Besigye invited us in our role as human rights defenders to meet with him today and talk about human rights concern, something we do regularly with the government of Uganda and other political actors,” reads a statement jointly signed by Kabumba Busingye of Human Rights and Peace Centre Makerere School of Law, Maria Burnett of Human Rights Watch and Anthony Masake of Chapter Four Uganda.

“Police denied us access to Dr.Besigye’s home claiming we were not on his program for today despite an explicit invitation and the presence of his staff to receive us,” the statement further reads.

Dr Besigye has been at his home under police surveillance since Monday 22, and his lawyers, journalists and other acquaintances were also on Monday blocked from accessing the four time presidential challenger of Incumbent Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

However, the activists say they remain concerned that ‘Dr Besigye’s legal status as a prisoner in his home has no basis in Ugandan law, constitutes arbitrary detention and violates basic human rights to free expression and association’.

They maintain that even though police promised them that they can have access another day, they dispute that police has a basis on which to assert that authority to control guests to a private residence.

Recently recalled Kampala Metropolitan Commander, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Andrew Felix Kaweesi, said police will limit visitors to Dr Besigye’s home basing on the intelligence they have gathered.

“We shall allow public access to him in a regulatory manner; we don’t want to shift his work place from Kampala to  Kasangati as everyones access to him may help him in his plans, ” AIGP Kaweesi said.

Police spokesperson Mr Fred Enanga, however, says that the Constitution gives police power to detain an individual if he threatens public safety.

And, according to Mr Enanga, Besigye plans to create havoc in the city.

Dr Besigye’s daily detentions started on Monday as he planned to walk with his supporters to the Electoral Commission offices in the capital Kampala to demand declaration forms of the presidential elections.

Dr Besigye has rejected the results of the widely criticised election in which he lost to incumbent Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who obtained 60.8% against Besigyes 35.4%.

Besigye has been arrested over 5 times in a space of 8 days and every time he tries to leave his house, he is arrested and taken to Nagalama Police Station and detained the whole day and later dropped off to his house in Kasangati at around 10:00pm.

According to the Uganda Constitution, Besigye has 10 days to petition High Court over the presidential elections results from the day the winner is announced. Of these ten days, he has been in police detention for three days.

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party officials and his lawyers say that the continued detention of their flag bearer is a move to frustrate any efforts to file a petition.

“He has only eight days now but he cannot meet his lawyers, he cannot meet his campaign managers and he cannot even meet with party officials, so how can he collect evidence within the remaining days,” Mr Peter Walubiri, one of Besigyes lawyers, was quoted as saying by local media.

Dr Besigye persistent arrests have attracted the attention of international organisations and governments, with the United States and the United Nations raising concern over the matter.

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