Big interview: "I was tortured but my resolve to cause change was not shattered," says NUP's James Mubiru

After spending close to five months in jail following his arrest in March 2021 over alleged possession of military hardware, Rubaga North Lord councillor, James Mubiru says his zeal to cause political change remains unchanged.

Speaking to the Nile Post in an interview, Mubiru narrated his ordeal while in the military detention and spoke about many other issues as he continue to pursue his political career.

Excerpts below:

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Welcome back from prison. How were you apprehended and where were you at that time?

Thank you my brother. I was part of the Kalangala team and I escaped but later I was arrested when we were from Namisindwa district. We were taken to Mbale police station and from there we were remanded to Manafwa prison that is a civilian prison.

The situation we found there was very bad and the only advantage there is that we could interact and see the sunshine but other things were hell.

When I was in the military prison, things were a little bit different because I was detained in a single room and I was given a small bed and some bed sheets and their food was not so bad .

The only disadvantage which I experienced in the military prison is that in that insolation you don’t communicate, you remain ignorant about what is taking place. Such a situation can traumatise your mind, there is a time that I could not feel myself. I was not tortured in the military prison but the situation I went through was {terrible}.

You were announced dead several times while in detention. What really happened?

When I was arrested in the first week of March, I was taken to Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence( CMI) headquarters where I was brutally tortured, they closed my eyes, I was put in a single room. Those people [officers] came and started beating and torturing me. I could not see the people torturing me. All what I could hear was their voices. The cloth which they used to cover my face had small holes, I could at least see the people but I could not recognise their faces.

Eventually I was taken somewhere else, I think it was on the second floor that is where I found a man, I think he was a captain.He asked me where I was arrested from and he started blaming those who were torturing me. I think he said all those words so that I would be able to give him the information which I didn’t have .I was asked who is sponsoring us [National Unity Platform].

When I was announced dead, they rushed me to the General Court Martial. They opened those charges which I told you against me and I was remanded to military prison. I was isolated and I could not communicate to anyone. My phone was confiscated, I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t reach my family and my lawyers.

After spending several months in a detention facility, do you regret joining NUP at any one point?

Not really because whatever we are going through, we expected it. If you come and speak the truth you have to face it rough. I don’t regret it because I knew what I was coming in and I knew that once you stand for the truth, you just know that you are going to face it rough. We are fighting for the rights of the people, we are fighting for justice. I am after the rule of law in this country. I am just becoming stronger and stronger each day.

We know you as a human rights lawyer and I think you can serve the people in that capacity very well. What inspired you to join politics?

It is unfortunate that  we see professionals just sitting and seeing the mess going on in our country .I wanted to be the voice of the voiceless people .If we the professionals just sit behind and just see how people are being mistreated, violation of human rights, it doesn’t work out. Most people rely on professionals, but it is unfortunate that many of them fear to come and speak about these issues.

Where do you see NUP in the next five years to come? Do you think the party will be able to survive without Bobi Wine?

I see NUP as the next party that will be in the control of the state because it has the support of the people. Bobi Wine has a team he works with and those who say that he overshadows the party, I don’t agree with them. He is a good leader who has given other people an opportunity to speak about matters of national importance. Just because some people don’t look beyond, NUP is bigger than everyone.

You have talked of removing the regime from power. Do you have any idea how that will be done?

People should be genuine in this struggle and we have to be united. You know however much we have been in this struggle, some people have been manipulated and that this sometimes delays our mission. However much we have been penetrated by hypocritical people who claim to be fighting for justice and yet they are the one supporting injustice, we are not going to be diverted.

We are going to maintain our standard, we are going to maintain our goal of removing the dictator through peaceful means. Already the people we are leading are united. It’s the leaders who really need to come together.

Having been sworn in as the lord councillor Rubaga North, what are you going to focus on as you begin your term?

We have many of our members who are still in prison. One of the things before I can consider anything to do is to see that I fight for our members who are still in prison. We have many of them who are still incarcerated in different cells.

Do you expect to seek another bigger position come 2026?

My ambition is to see that we have this country redeemed from the hands of the bad leadership. That is my political ambition. My desire is to have leadership that respects the rule of law, leadership that respects human rights, and the leadership that respects people. My ambition is not to have a big office. Initially I had come as a member of parliament and that vision has not vanished away.