By CHANGE OF GUARDS
Upon invitation by a Kenyan-based NGO that offers leadership training for young political party members, 36 Ugandans legally traveled to Kenya on July 23, 2024. They were to take part in a leadership and governance training course. Traveling by road, they were cleared for exit and entry by the Ugandan and Kenyan immigration authorities, respectively. They proceeded to Kisumu County in Western Kenya, where they secured accommodation at the Catholic Church-run Ukweli Pastoral and Development Centre. The group consisted of 32 males and 4 female members of the opposition, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
In the middle of the night on July 23, the group was attacked by gun-wielding Ugandan and Kenyan security personnel. Their rooms were ransacked, computers and phones seized, and they were assaulted before being kidnapped. They were immediately driven straight into Uganda without going through immigration procedures. In Uganda, they were paraded at the Kololo Independence Grounds for the media on July 24. They were in the custody of Paul Mugisha, identified as the Liaison and Protocol Officer of Museveni’s External Security Organisation (ESO). He told the media that the 36 were not criminal suspects; “They came to us, we have assessed them; we have looked at them. Nonetheless, the best authority to handle them is the police, not our service.”
The Police Spokesperson told the media: “These people were engaged in covert activities that are suspected to be subversive, drawing the attention of Kenyan security forces. We are collaborating closely with our Kenyan counterparts to thoroughly investigate the matter.”
In response to the pressure mounted by the top leadership of the FDC, the group was rushed to court, charged with terrorism, and sent on remand. It was alleged that they had traveled to Kenya “for the purpose of providing or receiving terrorist training.”
In Kenya, the print media is awash with condemnation of what transpired, and voices calling upon the government to explain the anomaly are getting louder. The Regional Police Commander of the Nyanza region (Kisumu) said: “I am not aware of any arrests of foreigners in Kisumu. I am just reading these details like any other person is, in the media. If at all, it was not done by my team or command.”
The Governor of Kisumu, Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o, bitterly condemned the incident: “As the governor of Kisumu, where the incident happened, I challenge the Kenya Police to clarify if its officers were involved in the arrests and hurried deportation of Ugandans and the reason behind the incident.”
Ordinarily, the government of Kenya ought to have charged them with criminal offenses if any were committed on its territory. If the group had committed any offenses in Uganda and attempted to hide in Kenya, they should have been taken through formal deportation procedures. The fact that they were simply abducted and stealthily returned to Uganda makes it clear that this was a private arrangement and sets a dangerous precedent. Recently, Gen. Kale Kayihura was accused of irregularly returning Rwandan refugees to Rwanda. However, unless the FDC sustains the pressure, the victims will be subjected to prolonged detentions without trial. Consequently, some of them may be compromised into falsely confessing to terrorism in return for their freedom.
INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM
Discussion about this post