{UAH} FEARS GROWING FOR BESIGYE'S LIFE

Fears growing for Besigye’s life in Luzira prison

June 4, 2016June 5, 2016

 

 

Dr Kizza Besigye who many believe won the February 2016 presidential elections during one of his numerous encounters with security forces in Uganda.

By Henry D Gombya in Antwerp, Belgium and Nkonge I Kaggwa in Kampala, Uganda

Reports from the Ugandan capital Kampala say fears for the safety of main opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye are growing after it emerged that elements close to the poisoning of former Internal Affairs Minister Gen Aronda Nyakayirima may be operating in Luzira Maximum Security Prison with orders to slowly but surely bring to an end Dr Besigye’s life.

Information reaching our news desk, but which information we are presently unable to verify,  say there are orders given to a unit to poison Dr Besigye with Polonium 210 (P-210),  a substance that was allegedly used by Russian secret agents to end the life of President Vladimir Putin’s perceived archenemy Alexander Litvinenko, a former MI6 agent who had previously operated as a former Soviet and Russian spy.  The reports we are getting say an army sergeant going by the name Joseph Tayebwa from the Special Forces Command (SFC) commanded by the recently promoted eldest son of President Museveni, Maj Gen Muhoozi Kayinerugaba. Tayebwa is said to belong to the SFC’s ‘torture unit’ codenamed the ‘discipline department’. We hear this is the same unit that was used to allegedly poison Gen Nyakayirima while on his way from visiting South Korea.

 It is feared that major changes that recently took place at Luzira during which so many high ranking officers were transferred to other areas, may have been used to usher the Tayebwa gang into the prison. During this time, our sources say at least 10 Uganda Peoples Defence Forces soldiers are believed to have been slipped inside the prison. Our sources further say Tayebwa has been given the responsibility of looking after food and drinks brought into the prison by visitors to the inmates. The obvious intention for this is to quietly slip P-210 into foodstuff or drinks being given to Dr Besigye by his family and friends.

On Wednesday this week, Dr Besigye was denied a court appearance to face charges of treason after state prosecutor Orino Anguzo told the court they could not produce him because they feared there was a plot to storm the bus that would have brought him from Luzira. He requested that charges against the FDC leader be heard inside the prison, a request that surprised Besigye’s lawyer Al Haji Elias Lukwago who also happens to be the Kampala Lord Mayor. Speaking to The London Evening Post, the Mayor said: “This is unbelievable, a total collapse of the regime [now] ruling by decree.” After the magistrate said he would deliver a decision on the prosecutor’s request in two weeks time,Medard Lubega Seggona, MP for Busiro and shadow cabinet attorney general told us: “How can a chief magistrate adhere to such a thing?”  Mr Seggona further said, “How could he say that making a decision  will take him two weeks? This is a kangaroo court.”

Besigye’s treason charge was prompted by his party’s decision to hold a swearing-in ceremony for him after claiming the February general elections had been rigged by the ruling National Resistance Movement in favour of the incumbent Yoweeri Museveni and still believe their victory was stolen from them and that Besigye was the rightful winner of that election. In a ceremony that is yet to be known where exactly it took place, Dr Besigye was sworn-in as the new president of Uganda and he has since announced a formation of his cabinet. His team has called the February general election ‘an unmatched exhibition of electoral fraud, state-inspired violence and intimidation’. FDC party president Mugisha Muntu called it ‘a creeping coup and an overthrow of the constitution that had been orchestrated by Gen Museveni and his henchmen’.

Called the ‘Transitional Government of National Unity, the full list of the ‘Besigye Cabinet’ is as follows:

Kizza Besigye Kifefe – President and Commander-in-Chief; Wasswa Biriggwa – deputy President; Proscovia Salaamu Musumba – Prime Minister; Nathan Nandala Mafabi – Finance, planning and economic development; Winnie Kiiza – Agriculture, animal industry and fisheries; Betty Aol Ocan – Education, science and technology; Joyce Nabbosa Sebuggwawo – Federal, regional and local government; Ingrid Turinawe – Internal affairs; Medard Lubega Seggona – Justice and Attorney General; Jack Sabiiti – Trade, cooperatives, industry and tourism; Geoffrey Ekanya – Foreign Affairs; Ibrahim Semuju Nganda – Information and Communication technologies; Amuriat Patrick Obol – Works and transport; Mathias Mpuuga – Health and nutrition; Philip Wafula Ogutu – Presidency and government reform; Gloria Paga – Youth, sports and performing arts; Dinah Bua – Water, forestry and environment; Chapaa Karuhanga – Oil, energy resources development; Wadri Kassiano Ezati – Land, housing and physical planning. The post of Defence was left unfilled.

The following list is that of deputy ministers:

Paul Mutawe – Foreign and Regional Affairs; Anthony Akol – Presidency, public service and cabinet affairs; Godber Tumushabe – Information and communications technology; Muwanga Kivumbi – Defence and national security; Francis Mwijukye – Youth, sports and performing arts; Mubarak Munyagwa – Security; Hassan Kaps Fungaroo – Trade, cooperatives, industry and tourism; Patrick Baguma – Works and Transport; William Nzoghu – Land, housing and physical planning.

Before his arrest, Dr Besigye had been virtually under house arrest for 48 days including immediately before the country went to vote in February this year. The medical doctor had been Museveni’s personal physician while fighting in the bush against Dr Milton Obote’s government between 1980 and 1985.  He was made Minister of Internal Affairs during the first of the now five governments run by Museveni. After falling out with his former patient, he formed the FDC that rose to become the second if not the largest political party after the National Resistance Movement.  On May 11 he was arrested and taken to Nalufenya police station, about 80 kilometres from the capital Kampala. This arrest was met with anger from his supporters who threatened to storm the police station.

At 6pm that day, he was flown by helicopter to Moroto in Karamoja district and on May 13, a day after  Gen Museveni was sworn in for the fifth time, Besigye was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Charles Yeteise who took three minutes to read our treason charges against him. Surprisingly, the court appearance took place at 6.30pm long after the normal court working hours. He was not allowed to enter any plea during that appearance and wasn’t given the services of a lawyer either. Before he appeared at court, he had earlier refused to give a statement to police without the presence of his lawyers. His supporters in Moroto shut down their businesses and demanded that Besigye be released. During skirmishes with police, live bullets were fired and teargas was used by police to try and calm the crowds down but to no avail. The protests may have forced authorities to transfer him back to Kampala where he was again arraigned at the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court on May 18 and once again charged with treason and subsequently remanded to Luzira Prison.

But while Dr Besigye is facing a death sentence if convicted as charged, his party is showing signs of division and has defied his pleas not to form an official opposition in parliament. Members of his party whose names appear in the cabinet mentioned above have already accepted positions in the shadow cabinet announced recently and which is to be led by Winnie Kiiza named in the Besigye cabinet as the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister. Angry FDC youths stormed party offices  demanding their leaders show some solidarity towards Besigye by boycotting parliament. But Semujju Nganda who was named as Information and Communications Technologies minister in the Besigye cabinet retorted, “Yes the youth stormed our offices in protest but we have nothing to do. Should we leave parliament? But we have already taken the oath and they supported us in being elected to parliament. All committees in parliament have a leadership. Should we just be invigilators or participants in parliament?”

EM

On the 49^th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"