By George Murumba

31^st Oct 2011:

Injured and Blinded: Besigye being arrested in April

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party President Kizza Besigye has been arrested again by police officers as he attempted to walk-to-work this morning.  The FDC leader was arrested at a roadblock mounted by security operatives on Nangobo-Kasangati road in Wakiso district soon after he left Kasangati residence to walk to his office at FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi.

Ms Judith Nabakooba, the police Spokesperson confirmed that Besigye was indeed arrested but refused to reveal where the opposition leader is detained.  FDC Deputy Secretary for International Affairs Ms Anne Mugisha has however revealed on her facebook page that the FDC leader is detained at Kansagati police station and is with his Lawyer Mr David Mpanga.

Nabakooba said Besigye was arrested because he was walking in a company of a group of people – something, she insists constitutes an illegal assembly.  She also said the FDC leader disobeyed lawful police orders to go back to his home.

For the whole of last week, Besigye was confined to his home by police in what the government says is “preventive arrest”.  Besigye challenged his house arrest last week and Kasangati Grade One Magistrate Jessica Chemeri ruled that Besigye’s detention at his home was illegal since his residence is not a gazetted place of detention under the law.

Police Chief Kale Kayihura decreed two weeks ago that walking to work in Uganda amounts to an illegal attempt to overthrow the government and therefore treasonable.  Dr Besigye however insists that walking to work is his God given right and no state authority has powers to deny him the right to exercise his freedom to walk whenever he desires.

It has now emerged that the government has taken a decision to neither allow Besigye to walk nor charge him with any specific offence.  The Daily Monitor newspaper has however revealed that an anonymous police source told them that the police has been given orders to “…keep arresting and releasing the opposition politician each time he tries to walk to work until “the threat [of the protest] is neutralised”.

There is also every indication that police will release the FDC leader later today because the state has no criminal charges to prefer against him.  END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.