Bobi Wine counts losses 4 years after Arua saga

Friday, August 13,  marked exactly four years since former Kyadondo East legislator Robert Kyagiulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, and his colleagues in politics, were allegedly tortured during the Arua saga where they had pitched camp for the final campaign in the municipality by-elections.
On that day, security operatives broke into Pacific Hotel where Bobi and team were camped for the night after the final day of campaigns. 

All occupants of the hotel, especially politicians led by Bobi Wine, later said they had been tortured during the melee and Bobi Wine’s driver, Yasiin Kawuma, shot dead in his boss’ car.  
Many political analysts have marked this day as Bobi Wine’s political turning point. 
On the day, besides Bobi Wine, Arua City was also hosting President Museveni, four-time presidential candidate Dr Kiiza Besigye, all rooting for rival political party candidates.

President Museveni was backing National Resistance Movement party candidate Nusura Tiperu, while Dr Besigye fronted Bruce Musema of Forum for Democratic Change as Bobi Wine campaigned for Kassiano Wadri on an Independent ticket.
Wadri was to emerge winner in the election even when he had been arrested and detained in Gulu by the time of voting. 
But Four years later today, Bobi Wine has since contested for presidency and emerged second after President Museveni, with his NUP party winning close to 60 parliamentary seats. 

Nevertheless, Bobi Wine insists the election was fraudulent and marred with violence and killing of his supporters, although he withdrew his election petition from the High Court. 
On Friday last week, during what he called ‘NUP Heroes Day’ in memory of all his supporters that he said had died during the four years, Bobi Wine claimed more than 100 of them were killed, but listed only 62. 
He also said 14 other supporters are being held incommunicado and more than 200 others still being held in unknown detention centres and safe houses. 

“I stand with all the people that have paid the ultimate price for this struggle,”’Bobi Wine told journalists on Friday at the NUP party headquarters in Kamwokya, Kampala.
“There are those who will never do their work properly and will never walk on their legs because they have been brutally disabled,” Mr Shaban Atiku, a resident of Terego County in Arua District, told Sunday Monitor on Friday.
Mr Atiku has now spent four years in a wheelchair after he was allegedly tortured during the August 13 saga in Arua. 

READ: Many protest victims were below 30 years, says survey

“Many of us are in this kind of state, my children cannot go to school and I can’t do the things that I used to do before the State security agents beat me up. My life has never been the same again,” Mr Atiku said.
 
Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake said: “I just left crutches two months ago after I was tortured in Arua. I left them because I went for specialised medication in the USA. What about people who cannot afford that kind of treatment? This government has made us stronger by torturing us, yet they thought they would weaken us.”
In November last year, when Bobi Wine was arrested in Luuka District, where he had gone to campaign, protests broke out across the country, and in quelling them, at least 54 people were shot dead by security agencies. 
It is not clear whether all those that were shot dead were Bobi Wine supporters.

But yesterday, Bobi Wine said they have evidence that more than 100 of his supporters died during the chaos. 
“In November, when they arrested me, people expressed their opinion and more than 100 were killed. Those who managed to escape are leaving with scars and others were taken to torture chambers and dumped dead,” he said. 
In April this year, Internal Affairs minister Jeje Odongo told Parliament that the government arrested 269 people over the November riots and another 1,035 in relation to elections, giving a total of 1,304.

Initially, NUP in March claimed that 680 of its supporters were missing, but the government admitted it had only 71 of them in custody. MPs objected to the government disclosure, resulting in Minister Odongo eventually presenting to Parliament a list of 177 detainees.
NUP leadership now say many of these have been released and secretly dropped off in various places across the country. 

READ: What next for Bobi Wine?

They say many of them claim to have been tortured but the number of those who are still in detention is still big. 
Mr David Lewis Rubongoya, the NUP secretary-general, said many of those who were released had big scars on their bodies and those not killed or arrested escaped with injuries. 
“Following the November incident, many people were injured even though they were not arrested or killed. We continue to demand for those that have not yet been released because their only case is supporting Kyagulanyi,” he said. 

Mr Masudi Luzige, 21, one of Bobi Wine supporters, who was shot at during the November riots, said his face was deformed after his face was raptured by a bullet and his lower lip ripped off. 
“I have no hope of being the handsome person the way God created me. A bullet went through my lower lip and raptured my jaw. Another bullet struck my back and came out through  my chest. That is the pain I have to leave with for the rest of my life,” he said. 
 

Killed during campaigns

Ssenteza Frank Kalibbala 
Willy Kayondo
Sophie Kusasira
Baker Kato Lubwama, 
Martin Owekikye
Tusubira Elijah
Elijah Mukibi Kaate 
Umaru Ssemakula
Katwere Kimuli of Seeta
Musisi Allan Kitete Mukono
 Peter Mwanje of Nansana
Mugerwa William
 Baatio Sofi
Alionji Nobert
Fungroo Moro
Shaaba Saraf 
Ibrahim Mutaasa
 Akim Abile of Obongi 
Fred Ssenkima
Juliet Nabukeera
Martin Owekikye
Willy Kayondo
Lemmy Musisi
Fred Nsubuga
Ayub Kongola
Grace Walungama

Absolom Kasirye
 Twahir Ndugwa
Daniel Napulira
Junior Semanda
Reagan Robert
Peter Kintu
Gift Nsubuga
Juma Ssendagire
Ashiraf Kamoga
Richard Mutyaba
Walusimbi Arnold
Sophie Kusasira
Ibrahim Mutaasa
John Kitobe
Local Defence Unit Personnel
Nabawanuka
Huzairu Kiruja
Kansiime Onek
Baker Kato
Lubwama Faisal
Bukere Nuhu

Killed in post-election violence
Ssezibwa Robert Umar
Mulongo Sam,

NUP list of those killed before campaigns

Yasin Kawuma, shot dead in Arua, August 13, 2018
Daniel Kyeyune, shot dead at Nansana, February 25, 2020
 Rita Nabukenya, run over by police truck at Nakawa, February 24, 2020
Vicent Sserugaya, shot dead from Gomba, August 23, 2018
 Kalende Yusuf, knocked by police truck, August 27, 2020
 Walugembe Raphael, shot on Entebbe Road
Michael Kalinda, kidnapped, tortured and died on August 4, 2018.
 Asuman Walyendo, shot on July 19, 2018
Charles Mutyabule, run over by military truck, 2020
Lukoma Stephen, shot dead on June 7, 2019
 Hakim Ssekamwa, run over by police patrol truck, August 6, 2019
 Hannington Ssewankambo, aka Sweet Pepsi, succumbed to torture on September 20, 2019
 John Bosco Kibalama, kidnapped in 2019, feared dead.