Kizza Besigye’s wife narrates how he was abducted in Nairobi, driven to Uganda overnight
- Published By Jane Njeri For The Statesman Digital
- 1 week ago
Winnie Byanyima, the wife of Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, has disclosed the details leading to her husband's abduction in Nairobi and subsequent arraignment in a Kampala military court.
Besigye was abducted 11 days ago while in Kenya for a book launch, and was driven by night to Uganda where he was charged with plotting to undermine national security and being in unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, which were all recovered in Nairobi.
Speaking on Citizen TV's JKLive Show on Wednesday, Byanyima narrated that Besigye had traveled to Nairobi on November 16 to attend a book launch by NARC-Kenya party leader Martha Karua, a friend of his.
The book launch was scheduled for Sunday, November 17, but upon arriving in Nairobi, Besigye was reportedly invited by a British national to a meeting with business associates supposedly interested in supporting African political parties and their mass mobilization efforts.
Besigye was accompanied by his party colleague, Haji Obeid Utale, to the meeting location on Riverside Drive, Nairobi.
According to Byanyima, who serves as the Executive Director at UNAIDS, the situation took a dark turn when, after a brief introduction to the people present, a knock on the door announced the supposed arrival of Kenyan police.
"The British national said he had a group of colleagues and friends and businesses who invest in Africa who wanted to support political parties and could support their mass mobilisation work and party activity," she said.
"So he was exploring this and he was invited to a meeting in Riverside and he went with his party colleague Haji Obeid Utale. They arrived there, entered the room and were being introduced to two people, the one he knew (Brit) and another he didn't know....a knock on the door and it is announced that Kenya police have arrived."
The British national reportedly opened the door only to find eight men in plain clothes; Besigye could not tell who they were but they told him he was under arrest.
According to Byanyima, Besigye was taken aback when he noticed that the British national who had invited him to the meeting was carrying two guns and a box of money
"In the room were this man and his friend with two guns and a box of money and the supposed police said ‘you are under arrest’ and Besigye said 'wait a moment I don't know why this man came with two guns and a box of money; I did talk about fundraising but I wasn't expecting this'," Byanyima narrated.
Before he could ask more questions, the British man vanished, leaving Besigye with a stranger, his party colleague and the supposed policemen. Besigye and Utale were then forcibly driven overnight towards the Ugandan border.
"Four of the men bundled him and his partner in a car and drove them the whole night towards the border of Uganda. They crossed into Uganda without stopping. It was clearly a well planned operation," she said.
"Somewhere towards Nakuru, the four men who abducted them forgot and started talking in our language so Kizza said I wish you told us we spoke the same language, and that's how they crossed them into Uganda to the military jail."
She added that Besigye remains in good spirits despite the harsh conditions he is facing in prison.
"He is well; he is in good spirits but he is in a prison sleeping on the floor, prison conditions aren't good but he is strong," said Byanyima.
"He was charged in a military court, that's wrong because he is a civilian and remanded in a civilian prison just to calm the anger in the public."
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