Prime
Innocent Museveni turns terror suspect number 36
The 36 Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party supporters who were arrested at a hotel in Kisumu, Kenya, appear at the Nakawa Magistrate’s Court on July 29, 2024. They were charged with treason and sent to Kitalya Prison on remand until August 14. PHOTO | STEPHEN OTAGE
What you need to know:
- The suspects were not allowed to plead to the charges since terrorism is a capital offence that is tried in a higher court.
A 38-year-old Innocent Museveni Rubarondesa, an electrician from Rukungiri District, was yesterday charged alongside 35 other Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party members before a court in Kampala.
The group that was recently deported from Kisumu City in western Kenya appeared before Nakawa’s Chief Magistrate Elias Kakooza and was charged with being trained in terrorist activities.
They were not allowed to plead to the charges since terrorism is a capital offence that is tried in a higher court. They were remanded to Luzira Prison until August 13
The prosecution led by Mr Richard Birivumbuka told the court that between July 22 and 23, the group travelled from various places in Uganda to Kisumu in Kenya “for the purpose of providing or receiving terrorist training.”
He said investigations into the case were still ongoing and the group was remanded to Luzira Prisons until August 13.
Several FDC party members from the Katonga faction, including the interim party president Erias Lukwago, and Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, were present in court to follow the proceedings.
Dr Kizza Besigye, the four-time presidential candidate on the FDC party ticket, in a statement on his X handle, claimed their members, whom he referred to as colleagues, travelled to Kisumu on July 23 for a week-long leadership workshop.
He said Uganda’s immigration and security personnel dully cleared the group. This publication was unable to immediately crosscheck these claims by the time this newspaper was put to bed last night.
But Dr Besigye said on that same night, Ukweli Pastoral and Development Centre, Kisumu, where the team had booked in, was violently attacked, and doors are broken into before the group was brutally arrested.
The centre that is 5.4 kilometres off Kisumu City, prides itself as a budget place to stay.
“Their properties were confiscated, including computers and phones. They were tortured and several were injured during the arrest. They were driven that night back to Uganda – this time, without going through Kenyan or Uganda immigration,” he wrote on his X handle on Sunday.
“They were detained in safe houses of Uganda’s External Security Organisation [ESO] until they were brought to Kololo [Ceremonial] Grounds to be paraded before the media as having been handed over by the Kenyan government for engaging in suspicious circumstances,” he added.
Dr Besigye said the group was lawfully invited into Kenya and entered lawfully and that the place where they were to hold their workshop was lawfully engaged too.
The Monitor was unable to verify the narrative put across by Dr Besigye by press time last evening.
Earlier last week, Mr Paul Mugisha, the director of Liaison and Protocol at ESO, who paraded the group before the media at Kololo on Wednesday, said the group was not under arrest.
“They are not in detention. They came to us, we have assessed them; we have looked at them. Nonetheless, the best authority to handle them is the police, not our service,” he said.
Mr Mugisha said their Kenyan counterparts had contacted them claiming there was a group of Ugandans in their country, engaging in activities that were not clear.
Despite Mr Mugisha claiming that the group was not under arrest, they were not let go, prompting Mr Lukwago to hold a media briefing on Sunday and castigated the Nairobi establishment.
Mr Lukwago then said he would pen a protest note to Nairobi yesterday, but the State moved faster and charged the group at Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court.
But Mr Lukwago protested: “We also demand that our colleagues be released unconditionally because they are in illegal detention. They have gone beyond the 48 hours to have someone in custody, since the 24th, today is the 28th. First of all, upon arrest, you tell them immediately why they are arrested, that is what the Bill of Rights says.”
“We want again to be on record that if they are talking about rebellion or subversive activities, or terrorism, we the leaders [of FDC party] are the ones who authorised them to travel and participate in that programme. So, if they are to charge them with treason, terrorism; we are all here.
“We are definitely going to issue a protest note to Nairobi through their embassy here [in Kampala] on this matter because they had a duty after admitting our colleagues into their territory protection,” he added.
The charges of terrorism, upon conviction, carry a maximum punishment of death by hanging.
Names
1. Samuel Makokha, 45
2. Simon Rutarondwa, 46
3. Dr George Okello Ekwaro, 50
4. Charles Nkonge, 33
5. Paul Kawanguzi, 42
6. Nasur Din Basalirwa, 38
7. Latif Waiswa Maido, 35
8. Charles Bukenya Lwanga, 28
9. Kitamirike Mbago Buyinza, 42
10. John Kasera Mangeni, 50
11. Hakim Bukenya, 29
12. Peter Olinga Sozi, 46
13. Walter Obanga, 38
14. Moses Cankara Mwaka
15. Yosia Kaigo, 35
16. George Wanzige, 33
17. Grace Nalunkuma, 30
18. Edward Nakibinge Wassajja, 47
19. Adios Denmark Beinomugisha, 29
20. Ronald Muhinda, 41
21. Henry Mpungu, 43
22. Ronald Naguba Ssozi, 36
23. Richard Tugabirwe, 32
24. Sirino Okello, 39
25. Owen Ahimbisbwe, 35
26. Simon Peter Nsubuga
27. Adam Wakabi, 42
28. Conold Kimonge, 33
29. Henry Buyondo, 28
30. Fairuzi Ngobi, 37
31. Robert Owamani, 52
32. Arthur Kugumiriza, 27
33. Denis Owachigiu Nono, 43
34. Florence Lalam, 44
35. Sarah Apale, 34
36. Innocent Museveni Rubarondesa, 38
Additional reporting by Martha Namono
