Ali Kateregga, a NUP councilor in Masaka City, while meeting President Yoweri K. Museveni at State House, requested that President Museveni release all the political prisoners since most of them were misled by NUP political self-seekers. Kateregga had escorted Balaam Barugahara and other newly appointed ministers for a swearing-in ceremony.
“We know that they committed crimes like burning tires and beating up people, but most of them were misled by political self-seekers; releasing them is the best Easter gift you can give Ugandans,” Kateregga told the president.
It is important to note that these political prisoners are not in jail for opposing the government but for actually committing crimes like assault, petty theft, and illegal assembly, among others.
President Museveni pledged to investigate the jailed offenders and said that if their charges were not dire, their release would be addressed.
While speaking to the NUP party supporters at Kavule, where they had convened to celebrate the belated Women’s Day celebrations, Kyagulanyi denounced the statements and requests made by Ali Kateregga to President Museveni.
“You all saw a gentleman who came pretending to be a soldier of NUP. He was paraded by Balaam, pretending to be speaking for us. We are not going to beg Museveni for our freedom because it is our constitutional right. Kateregga does not represent the views of the party,” Bobi Wine said.
However, Bobi Wine’s statement has raised mixed reactions from NUP supporters, who are wondering why he has consistently refused dialogue and negotiations to have the political prisoners released. It should be remembered that the request by the Kimanya Kabonera Member of Parliament, Abed Bwanika, to dialogue with the government and negotiate for the release of the political prisoners has been turned down by Bobi Wine many times.
When Eddie Mutwe, Nubian Li, and Dan Magic were imprisoned in 2021, Bobi Wine put in efforts to have them released because they were his confidants and closer to him. The fact that he blocks requests and negotiations to have other prisoners released, as well as deliberately refusing to visit them in their different detention centers, has left many unanswered questions amongst NUP supporters.
Bobi Wine has exhibited a lack of focus and ideology in his political struggles; he finds himself with nothing to tell Ugandans apart from talking about arrests, prisoners, and torture when the chance arises. He understands that when these political prisoners are released, he will not have anything to tell his supporters, so he has to make sure that they remain in prison so he can ride on it for political capital.
It is time for NUP supporters to know that they are on their own and desist opportunistic political self-seekers who look at their supporters as tools for political capital. Bobi Wine’s attitude and behavior towards the fate of NUP supporters in prison is a sign of ideological disorientation and political incorrectness. He will continue to mislead Ugandans for personal gain as the families of those in detention continue to suffer without help.
