Mr. Amuriat returned home today carrying the award, which was granted to Dr. Besigye and six other distinguished Africans for their "outstanding sacrifice in the fight for Democracy and service to humanity across Africa." T
he award was presented by Former Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the Democracy Union of Africa (DUA) Forum 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya.
In a statement, Mr. Amuriat confirmed he received the accolade with "great humility" and spoke briefly about Dr. Besigye’s contributions. He used the occasion to clarify the circumstances surrounding his acceptance, particularly addressing criticism from some party members.
Mr. Amuriat revealed that he became aware that Hon. Salaamu Musumba, a former FDC official, was also present at the forum. He stated that the DUA leadership discussed her presence before affirming the decision for him to receive the award as the most senior FDC leader in attendance.
“Hon. Musumba later attacked me for receiving the award and I believe her greatest pain arose from her wanting the limelight associated with receiving the award,” Mr. Amuriat stated.
He further observed that others "like her who feel I should not have received the award," but insisted he did not solicit the role and had no reason to turn down the request of the DUA board.
Mr. Amuriat dismissed claims that he was seeking to gain political capital, arguing that there was no such gain to be made. He emphasised his long-standing working relationship with the imprisoned leader.
“I have worked very closely with Dr. Besigye for over 20 years including coordinating his field activities in the run up to 2016 presidential elections, and once lay besides him on a bare floor while in incarceration at Nagalama police station for 13 days,” he recounted. He maintained that their disagreement is "purely political" and “I have nothing personal against Dr. Besigye.”
Addressing his reason for not visiting Dr. Besigye in prison, Mr. Amuriat claimed it was to avoid creating trouble due to alleged hostilities from those around the former FDC President.
“My not visiting Dr. Besigye in prison is largely because of the hate campaign the people around him have leveled against me as an individual... My biggest motivation for staying away from visiting him has been to maintain peace and not to create more trouble for him,” he explained.
Concluding his statement, Mr. Amuriat reiterated Dr. Besigye’s importance, stressing that he “remains the number one driving force in the bid for the freedom of Ugandans.”
He announced plans to seek an audience with Dr. Besigye soon to discuss “these political vultures who want to prey over someone's political predicament and yet do very little to prevent it.” Since the award cannot be kept in prison, Mr. Amuriat confirmed he will hand it to Rt. Hon Wafula Oguttu, an individual he praised for having “stayed level headed.”