No turning back, Besigye declares

Former FDC presidential candidate Kizza Besigye (centre) waves to his supporters after he was released on a non-cash bail of Shs100 million at the High Court in Kampala yesterday. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA.

What you need to know:

  • Opposition leader urges supporters not to give up
  • Musician Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine equated Dr Besigye to South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and former president Nelson Mandela

KAMPALA.

Hours into his temporary freedom Opposition leader, Dr Kizza Besigye remained defiant and urged his supporters, who turned up at his Kasangati home, not to give up the fight for a better Uganda.

“We are fighting to put our country in our own hands. Until we achieve that, there is no turning back. If they think that putting us in prison will demoralise us, then they are wrong,” Dr Besigye told a crowd of about 200 people who managed to beat the police siege outside his farm and accessed his home.

Dr Besigye who had been on remand since May on treason charges assured his supporters that they were not breaking any law in defying a “dictatorship”. He instead blamed a section of “criminals” within the Police Force for slapping trumped up charges against him.

“It hurts that police has been infiltrated by criminals but these are just a few individuals. Most of those in police are not criminals but there is a group of kifeesi who have tarnished the image of the Force. They are led by Mr Kale Kayihura (IGP) and his colleagues,” he said.

Urges police to be strong
Dr Besigye urged police officers and members of other state security organs “who want our country to go forward and who overwhelmingly voted for us” to be strong.

Musician Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine equated Dr Besigye to South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and former president Nelson Mandela.
“We the youth are very lucky. We used to just read about freedom fighters such as Nelson Mandela but we have had an opportunity not to just see you but also learn from you,” Bobi Wine said.

This singer also unveiled another artiste Ronald Mayinja who he said had joined the “struggle”. Mr Mayinja was one of the artistes in President Museveni’s 2016 election theme song Tubonga Naawe. However, both artistes are known for releasing songs laden with political overtones.

He said he had been overwhelmed by Dr Besigye’s resoluteness. “In school, I studied about Nelson Mandela but very few times did I read about him having food in a hotel, most of the times I heard about him, he was incarcerated in prison but in the end he won,” Mr Mayinja said.

The journey
Immediately after leaving the court premises, Dr Besigye defied the heavy police and military presence and stood through the open-roof compartment of his car waving to his supporters that had been blocked along roads such as Kampala Road, Lumumba Avenue and Nakasero Road.

He then proceeded to Ternan Avenue past the entrance to State House Nakasero connected to Yusuf Lule and then Gayaza Road.
Police was compelled to fight off his supporters’ procession which kept growing by the minute.

Police commanded by Geoffrey Kaheebwa, the deputy RPC Kampala South, would occasionally block the road to stop Dr Besigye’s supporters who were mainly running along or riding on boda-boda motorcycles.

Stick wielding uniformed police officers and operatives would occasionally beat them in an attempt to disperse them. Journalists, too, were not spared.
At the dusty road heading to Dr Besigye’s home, Police again blocked people and mounted a road block on the main entrance to his farm.

This, however, did not deter some of the determined supporters. They used short cuts to access the home where they sang, danced and chanted slogans in praise of Dr Besigye. One group even played football in his compound, saying they feel free “when we are in State House with our president”.

Police say
“We don’t want to make a big elephant out of his opinion. That is his opinion, and he is entitled to it. We don’t find insult in what he says because we are doing our job. We hope he will abide by the regulations of his bail, that will make our work very easy,” Polly Namaye, Police Deputy Spokesperson.’

What sureties say

“We are happy about the positive response to the bail application. That is how the judiciary should act. They should be firm and act in accordance with liberties of individuals,” FDC party president Maj Gen. Mugisha Muntu

“ I am happy that he is out and he was even there wrongly, very wrongly I can speak that without fear. If President Museveni thinks he won the election, why should he take Dr Kizza Besigye to prison?. He knows that Dr Besigye won. The struggle continues,” Nathan Nandala Mafabi, FDC party Secretary General

“ This is not the first time that I am pstanding surety for Dr Besigye. I know I am doing this because he has never done any wrong thing to Ugandans and whenever I stand for him, I remain strong. The struggle is still there and I call upon all Ugandans to pray for him,” Roland Mugume, MP for Rukungiri Municipality

“It’s good that he has been released from prison and of course we were expecting this. I am happy that at last he is finally set free to go back to his family and enjoy the life of a normal Ugandan citizen,” Joyce Ssebugwawo, Rubaga Division mayor