National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has condemned what he described as the government’s ongoing persecution of opposition leaders, citing the prolonged detention of former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader Dr Kizza Besigye and the continued harassment of his former aide, Sam Mugumya.
Speaking during his campaign visit to Rukungiri District a traditional opposition stronghold and Dr Besigye’s home area Kyagulanyi decried the year-long detention of Besigye at Luzira Upper Prison, saying the charges against him were politically motivated.
“In our message to the people of Rukungiri, we have echoed our concerns with the prolonged detention of Rtd. Col. Dr Kizza Besigye, who is making a full year inside Luzira Upper Prison on remand under trumped-up charges,” Kyagulanyi said.
He also expressed concern over the continued incommunicado detention of Besigye’s former aide, Sam Mugumya, whom he described as a victim of “state-inspired harassment.”
“We decried the state-inspired harassment of the children of Rukungiri like Sam Mugumya, who to date remains held incommunicado,” Kyagulanyi added.
The NUP leader said his party’s vision for a “New Uganda” includes ensuring justice for all victims of political persecution and accountability for state operatives accused of rights violations.
“In the New Uganda which we want to build, we will ensure that all victims of state repression attain justice. Perpetrators of terror and oppression will be brought to book,” he said, vowing that all political prisoners would be released once his party takes power.
Dr Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and long-time critic of President Museveni, has faced repeated arrests over the past two decades on charges ranging from treason to unlawful assembly. His supporters and human rights groups have often described his arrests as part of a wider government effort to suppress dissent.
His most recent arrest, in late 2024, sparked international concern after reports that he was abducted in Nairobi, Kenya, and secretly transferred to Uganda a move rights groups condemned as a violation of international law.
Besigye was later arraigned before a military court and charged with offences related to national security and unlawful possession of firearms, before the case was transferred to a civilian court where he now faces treason charges.
Human rights bodies, including the Commonwealth and Amnesty International, have called for his release, citing his deteriorating health following a hunger strike he launched to protest his detention.
Meanwhile, Mugumya, a former FDC activist and close aide to Dr Besigye, was released from Ndolo Prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year, where he had been detained without trial since 2014 on allegations of plotting to overthrow the Ugandan government.
Mugumya, who recently announced his bid for the Rukungiri Municipality parliamentary seat under the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), was previously accused by Ugandan authorities of “subversive activities.”
His long detention incommunicado drew sharp criticism from human rights organisations, which cited his case as an example of Uganda’s use of arbitrary detention to silence dissent.