Ugandan opposition leader charged with treason and moved to prison

By

Gloria Nakiyimba

The runner up in the February Ugandan presidential elections, retired Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, has been transferred to Luzira upper prison in Kampala.

Besigye was airlifted from Moroto government prison in North Eastern Uganda Monday afternoon.

Last Friday Besigye was charged with treason even after he refused to record a statement with police and was remanded to Moroto central prison.

“I can confirm that retired col Kiiza Besigye is already admitted in upper prison Luzira and is in good condition” Frank Baine the Prison spokesperson confirmed.

The former flag bearer for the opposition Forum for Democratic Change Party, FDC, was transferred back to Kampala after prosecution on Monday requested his case file be transferred to Kampala.

He was airlifted in a chartered plane from Moroto, 420 kilometers north east of the capital Kampala, to Kajjansi airstrip.

From Kajjansi airstrip he was whisked away to Luzira prison amid tight security.

“The most alleged offences he committed were in Kampala and Wakiso, and the co accused are in Kampala. So for ease of the process of the case they prayed to court that he is transferred to nearby prison, for us the nearby is Luzira” said Baine.

According to the charge sheet, the Prosecution alleges that, in diverse places of Uganda, retired Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, and others still at large, formed an intention to compel by force or constrain the government of Uganda as by law established, to change its measures or counsels as to the lawfully established methods of acceding to the office of the president of the republic of Uganda as by law prescribed.

He committed the alleged treason offense between 20^th February and 11 May 2016.

Its further alleged that on the 7^th April  at Kasangati, in Wakiso district, Dr. Besigye uttered words to the effect that he would establish a cabinet for the republic of Uganda, that he unlawfully declared himself winner of the presidential elections of 2016 and that he unlawfully took the presidential oath and undertaking to execute the functions and duties of the office of the President.

Besigye was incarcerated in Moroto prison for five days after he was arrested last Wednesday when he shockingly appeared in Kampala central business area a day before the swearing in of President Museveni, yet he had been placed under house arrest by police.

Gloria Nakiyimba

Gloria has experience spanning more than five years in Journalism, particularly in field reporting, editing, newscasting and management. She is currently working with Capital Radio Limited [91.3 Capital FM and 96.3 Beat FM] as Head of News, a position she has held since 2010.

Gloria previously worked as the Kampala Correspondent for Radio France International [RFI] generating local story leads with international inference for RFI’s global audience. She also served as Political Editor for The Weekly Mail Newspaper as well as Online Content Editor for the California based Ugandan broadcaster KubutakaRadio.com.