Prime
‘We were abducted as Museveni swore in for sixth elective term’
Mr Robert Rugumayo, alias Abdul Shakur Rugumayo, was one of the NUP party supporters who was convicted of treachery. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
What you need to know:
- Robert Rugumayo, alias Abdul Shakur Rugumayo, is one of the 19 NUP party supporters who were convicted of treachery and unlawful possession of ammunition, but were granted a presidential pardon on November 22. He revisits his ordeal of abduction, jail time, and confession to win his freedom.
“On May 12, 2021, President Museveni was sworn in for a sixth elective term in office.But the day proved dreadful for me and colleagues. I was at home with friends when our gathering was abruptly interrupted by a group of armed men, who stormed in, struck us with gun butts, and forced us to lie face down. They blindfolded us as they searched and turned over the entire house. They were reportedly looking for explosives that they said could harm the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and the country. But their search yielded nothing.
On that fateful day, I had planned with colleagues to pray at the National Unity Platform (NUP) party headquarters. But we were abducted and whisked off in a Toyota Hiace van popularly called drone and notorious for spates of abductions by plain cloth military personnel across the country.We were then detained for about a month in a place none of us knew. My only crime, I guess, was because I had run for councillor in Kawempe Division, Kampala City, under the Opposition NUP party. I can only suspect that my outspoken political activism could have kindled my abduction.
While in detention, we didn’t communicate with anyone outside and never moved out of our confinement. We were also repeatedly quizzed about what Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, was ordering us to do. They made us believe that Bobi Wine was making us carry out activities that broke the law. We rejected the false claims, refused to confess and they detained us for a month in the safe house.
We then rioted for three days and also went on hunger strike. We told them we would not stop our boycott unless we were taken to court. They brought in more colleagues and our number grew. Because of the pressure we mounted, on June 8, 2021, we made our first appearance at the General Court Martial. At the court, none of us could stand up for long, and many who attempted collapsed. We also could not walk well. We were then charged with illegal possession of ammunition.
During the session in court, they asked if anyone had a problem with the court. l raised my hand and said I had reservations about the military court trying us because what was being read was against my innocence since I didn’t know how to fight with even a stone.But my arguments were ignored and we were remanded for two weeks before we could reappear. However, it took six more months to reappear before the General Court Martial. Life proved hard since we were not used to such an environment and it was at the height of the lockdown forced by Covid-19 pandemic, with no visitors allowed.
Kitalya Prison presented a dizzying experience for us. We wore prisons outfits, ate terrible food, and had to adjust to a new lifestyle. This harsh life turned me around and I dropped my Christian name Robert Christopher, and adopted a Muslim name, Abdul Shakur Rugumayo. Nonetheless, the warders were kind because they knew we had no crime but were only being framed. We were always grateful to our leaders in the NUP party for sending medical supplies monthly, but they never reached us due to the corruption within the prison system.
Nevertheless, we received NUP party lawyers Benjamin Katana and George Musisi, who kept us informed of when we would appear before the military court. After some time, we were told to forego our lawyers and collaborate with Capt Simon Nsubuga, a soldier from the military court, so as to speedily settle our case. After six months, we were brought to the army court and later remanded for a month as they didn’t present any evidence to support their case. This prompted us to ask for our first bail, which took three months to consider but was even rejected. The rejection broke my heart as it meant more time in Kitalya Prison.
But we had a trial after and we were remanded for three more months, and later asked for a second bail, which was rejected again. We moved back-and-forth for trials and were remanded more than 70 times. As the trial went on, we were being pressed to accept the crimes we did not commit as it would quickly lead us out of jail. We found this very painful to take, but after intense reflection, I thought of my wife, parents, and the more than three years spent in jail.
So, I had to accept the crimes that I did not commit. Right from the day of my abduction, I was pressed to accept the crimes I was accused of but did not commit. Several people were often brought in to bear on us to accept the crimes imposed on us. After confessing to the crimes we did not commit, we were remanded for three more months and 22 days. Subsequently, State minister for Youth and Children’s Affairs Balaam Barugahara came in and we got a presidential pardon. Upon release, we had to live with more pain outside the prison walls. My wife returned when she was two months pregnant.
WAY FORWARD
Mr Rugumayo wants Uganda Law Society president Isaac SSemakadde and team to look into the current judicial system to deliver justice for all. ‘’Currently, Uganda does not run under the country’s laws despite its Constitution. You cannot remand someone for five years without sentencing. It would be better if someone was jailed upon conviction and not the current long periods on remand,’’ he says. “A heavy weight should be placed on the government to always follow the law since the law works in a few chosen areas yet elsewhere, the law does not work,’’ Mr Rugumayo says.
