Uncoordinated Ugandan security harass, trail, and arrest opposition sympathizers

There is a continued general outcry in the country, against intensified harassment and witch-hunt of political opposition sympathizers, supporters and mobilisers.

Among others, presidential aspirant Kyagulanyi Ssentamu also known as Bobi Wine, was on Wednesday December 23, 2020 held on “preventive arrest grounds” and flown in a military helicopter back to his Magere based home in Wakiso District.

According to our reliable sources, security and intelligence led but uncoordinated operatives usually follow the “preventive” arrest scrip to carry on random arrests.

So far, a number of Kampala city and downtown based opposition ardent sympathizers and some supporters including, Elizabeth Nakawundde, Mwesigwa Brain, Cyrus Mukwaya and James Magembe have disappeared from their homes and their family members suspect that their loved ones, are either on the run or under undisclosed military detention facilities.

Other opposition mobilisers and ardent sympathizers believed to be on the run include, Stephen Mugisha, Jovia K. Murangira, Jackline Akot, Julius Barungi, and Ernest Walube but the list is endless.

There is no definite number of persons hiding away from rogue security operatives or on the run but our sources indicate imminent despair among some members of the public. Recent unconventionally acceptable arrests, did not spare media personnel including Daily monitor’s Derrick Wandera, Ronald Kalyango of Ghetto media and Culton Scovia Nakamya of BBS Terefayina.

Other media personalities arrested in these anti-opposition operations include Ashraf Kasirye, Ali Mivule Mazike and Daniel Lutaaya. Most of the arrested media personalities are active journalists, officially attached to the opposition’s campaign trails.

Both the arrested journalists and political opposition sympathizers are purportedly under military detention, some badly injured, though human rights bodies have continued to condemn such acts of torture against civilians by rogue security groups.

Prior to the recent arrest episodes, there have been successive politically motivated arrests of opposition supporters, the worst case scenario being the arrest of Kyagulanyi Ssentamu on November 18th 2020 in Luuka District which sparked off riots not only in Kampala but in most of the country’s townships During the month of November 18th to 20th, 2020, it is estimated that people were arrested in hundreds, though the state contends that most are arrested on preventive against harm grounds.

Meanwhile, the Uganda Police Force, through its various spokes persons, besides alluding to the preventive arrests script of keeping key opposition members in safe  custody, have also continued to attribute these arrests to enforcing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) against the Covid-19 world pandemic, which position is highly disputed by well-thinking members of society.

Uganda will be holding presidential and parliamentary elections on January 14th 2021 and Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party is so far, rated as the strongest opponent against President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.