Rtd Col Dr. Kizza Besigye, the former President of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), has acknowledged Moses Ssimbwa as an FDC activist and an accident victim. Dr. Besigye revealed that he had assisted Ssimbwa with medical bills following his accident, although he still owes a private healthcare facility 15 million shillings for his treatment.
Sources indicate that Dr. Besigye confirmed knowing Ssimbwa as a young man from Jinja who tragically suffered the consequences of allowing himself to be manipulated by unscrupulous individuals. These individuals, presenting him as a victim of torture, deceived his friends and family who were unaware of his accident.
“I can unequivocally confirm that Ssimbwa was an FDC activist in Jinja before he was involved in a traffic accident. He has been receiving treatment for years from various people and locations. I treated him at a private healthcare facility, and I am still owing them 15 million shillings. Later, I discovered that he had been used as a torture victim by unscrupulous individuals who promised to provide him with treatment but failed. Recently, the army became interested in him and provided treatment at Bombo military hospital,” explained Besigye.
Besigye expressed disappointment that some people took advantage of Ssimbwa’s situation for personal gain, parading him among torture victims in Nairobi. Besigye was shocked to see Ssimbwa presented as a torture victim despite the fact that he had been providing financial assistance since his accident.
“I confronted Ssimbwa about his actions, but he claimed he had no knowledge of being presented as a torture victim before the human rights team in Nairobi. He believed he was there solely for treatment,” mentioned Besigye.
Sources further reveal that Besigye distanced himself from the team once he realized that they were being deceived about the accident victims during his time in Kenya.
Besigye lamented that the people of Uganda are well-informed and perceptive, easily able to identify the truth about Ssimbwa and the alleged torture victims.
These sources also reveal that Besigye did not actively advocate for the alleged torture victims after realizing their deceit. He chose to keep his distance as he possessed firsthand knowledge that not all the individuals hailed as torture victims were actually victims of torture, contrary to what they wanted the public to believe.
On January 26, 2024, during the National Resistance Movement Liberation Day held at Wakitaka Playground in Eastern Uganda, Moses Ssimbwa, an accident victim from Jinja city, publicly confessed and expressed remorse for allowing himself to be used by National Unity Platform (NUP) party leaders as a torture victim.
Ssimbwa pleaded for forgiveness from the President and the people of Uganda, revealing that NUP would continue to present the same false narrative, despite the fact that these victims were manufactured by the party itself.
