NUP speaks out on jailed MPs, defends Mpuuga
Kawempe South MP Muhammad Ssegirinya with his co-accused Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana at International War Crimes Division Court in Kampala, in 2022. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
Multiple sources, among them individuals involved and or briefed on the behind-the-scene talks, told Daily Monitor on Monday, that Parliament Speaker Anita Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa as well as the Leader of Opposition, Mr Mathias Mpuuga, played key roles
The National Unity Platform yesterday spoke about the jailed legislators’ long walk to freedom, and shed light on behind-the-scenes talks that could have led to their release on Monday.
The NUP Spokesperson, Mr Joel Ssenyoni, told Daily Monitor last evening that the party lawyers and undisclosed MPs played key roles and that “for over the past one-and-a-half years have been pursuing for [MPs] freedom through all the legal channels especially in the courts of law.”
“This was not going to be very easy, remember when we were pursuing for the freedom of Nubian Lee and other colleagues, it also took months but eventually they got freed,” Mr Ssenyonyi said.
He added: “This is the same story with this one, including exerting pressure in parliament and elsewhere and yesterday [Monday] they were granted freedom.”
Multiple sources, among them individuals involved and or briefed on the behind-the-scene talks, told Daily Monitor on Monday, that Parliament Speaker Anita Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa as well as the Leader of Opposition, Mr Mathias Mpuuga, played key roles.
NUP on Mpuuga
While Mr Mpuuga and other selected opposition leaders were involved in the talks with the government, NUP leaders say he didn’t participate in quiet shuttle diplomacy.
Mr Ssenyonyi, in an interview with the Daily Monitor last evening said: “Of course we began to see allegations of [negotiations]; there were deals that were cut involving [some leaders].”
“The LOP has denied that… Therefore, until any new information surfaces, we can’t believe [that there were deals] otherwise, as far as we are concerned, lawyers have done their work in pursuing their (MPs) freedom.”
He added: “So, issues of negotiations, we don’t know but if there is anyone who was involved in the negotiation deal, maybe they should speak out and tell us what kind of deal this was. What was given or promised in exchange for freedom?”
Mr Ssenyonyi revealed that as a party, they had decided not to pay attention to the behind-the-scenes talks that are out there.
“What we are focusing on now is the wellbeing of our colleagues, they need treatment so that they can get back to normalcy after having been in jail for a year and a half,” he said.
Other sources close to LoP’s office explained that the security meeting convened by Mr Tayebwa in his office, was not secret since other five Opposition leaders attended the meeting.
The meeting discussed kidnaps and delayed justice for NUP members said to be languishing in various prisons.
The duo were released on Monday, after spending 524 days in jail, an equivalent of 17 months.
They were accused of being behind the spate of killings in Masaka Sub-region that left about 26 residents killed between March and June 2021.
They faced charges ranging from terrorism, murder, attempted murder to aiding and abetting terrorism.
