Earlier today, Moses Nkonge Kibalama the former National Unity Platform (NUP) president denied knowledge of the video in which he appeared claiming that musician turned politician Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine promise him USD 5 million (Ssh18.5 billion) in exchange for the opposition party.
Kibalama, a few months ago handed over NUP to Bobi Wine but recently he made a u-turn to take back his party saying that the latter failed to stand by his word.
In a video that made rounds on social media, Kibalama was heard saying that the USD5 million deal they had with Bobi Wine to make him the party president failed to materialise thus deciding to repossess what originally belonged to him.
“After a long period of the people power group threatening me and failing to adhere to the memorandum of understanding made between us and the people power group we have made a decision to retain the NUP since Mr Kyagulanyi and his group cannot follow the objectives of the party,” said Kibalama the founder of the National Unity Reconciliation and Development Party (NURDP) that has since evolved into NUP.
However, appearing in Court for cross examination on Friday, Kibalama ate his own words when he said he was not the one who appeared in the video.He also reiterated that a party is not for sale, and he has never sold the party to anyone.
Teary Kibalama who failed to identify his lawyers also revealed that he had been under detention for two weeks in Mbale, surrounded by the military.
The aging politician also told court that weeks ago shortly after exiting his home, he received a call from a stranger who told him “we know where you are because we are seeing you. Now just drive here,….we need some information from you”.
On reaching where he was told to go, among the people found waiting for him was the commander of UPDF, Gen David Muhoozi. Kibalama says the information they wanted from him was about NUP.
He also asked court to help him regain his freedom adding that it is in public domain that his friends have been looking for him and they could not locate him and all his numbers were off until Uganda peoples Defence forces came out to clarify that it is availing him security.
“I would like my family to visit me unfortunately, they are not in Uganda,” he said.
Kibalama and group want to reclaim the party leadership which is now under the Kyadondo East legislator. They are challenging the ‘legalities’ of how the party ended up in the hands of the Kamwokya leadership despite the Memorandum of Understanding the two sides signed.
I was tortured!
After the court session, Bobi Wine told the media that Kibalama, was tortured while in military detention.
“I got an opportunity to speak in private with Kibalama. He disclosed to me that he has been tortured in detention where he is held by security. He said one of his toe nails was plucked out. He is in pain, he is captive and he can not express himself freely. Like you heard him say in court, he was forced to make the video (about the USD5m demands) while on gun point. But I told him I’ve been in the position he is in right now, when I was detained by the military in Arua,” Bobi Wine said.
“I want to tell Mr Museveni that all these things he is doing, other people like Omar el-Bashir, Muamar Gaddafi, Robert Mugabe did them, but they finally fell. Museveni will also fall,” Bobi Wine added.
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