Besigye: "2021 election proved that Ugandans are still in captivity"

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) former president, Dr. Kizza Besigye has said that the most important lesson from the 2021 general election is that Uganda is under captivity.

Besigye made these remarks while appearing on NBS Television's Morning Breeze.

"We have no rights as citizens, have no free institutions of the state. The most important lesson this election can give us is confirmation that we are a captive State," Besigye said.

Besigye said that the election helped to demonstrate that Ugandans are not the same before the law despite every citizen having equal rights.

The four-time former presidential candidate said he hesitates to say that he told all President Museveni’s competitors in the January 14th election about what they were going to face, because this would seem like he is rubbing it in their face.

"Regrettably, the fact is we make ourselves blind to the obvious reality, then we go and crash ourselves against the wall, pretending that it is not there," he said.

"The wall is there, and you will save yourself and those following you better if you open your eyes and say," There is a wall here, let's not crash into it."

Asked about the National Unity Platform's president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine’s decision to withdraw his election petition from the Supreme Court, Besigye said that Kyagulanyi did the right thing because courts have degenerated over time, and he was not about to get justice.

"The courts I subjected my petitions are not the ones of today. The earlier courts had some judges not appointed by Museveni. There is however a lot to learn from what they (NUP) did and it wasn't an effort in vain," Besigye said.

Besigye added that if NUP had not gone to court, Ugandans would not have known that the courts are politically compromised.