During a caucus meeting at Parliament on Monday, National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, delivered a passionate speech condemning what he termed the “systematic abuse of justice” in Uganda.
His remarks came in the wake of the controversial cross-border abduction of Dr Kizza Besigye and Sheikh Obed Kamulegaya, who were forcefully returned to Uganda from Kenya and subsequently arraigned before a military court.
Kyagulanyi described the abductions as a blatant violation of international law and human rights. “On the 20th day of November, the nation woke up to the disturbing news of the cross-border abduction of Dr. Kizza Besigye and his colleague, Alhaji Obed Kamulegaya,” he said. “This was done in utter violation of international law and smuggled into Uganda discreetly, bypassing any known extradition processes.”
The opposition leader criticized the continued use of military courts to try civilians, a practice the Constitutional Court has repeatedly deemed illegal. “Although these two were not serving military men, they were arraigned before the General Court Martial in utter contempt of all the pronouncements of the Constitutional Court,” Kyagulanyi noted, referencing past rulings against the trial of civilians in military courts.
Drawing from personal experience, Kyagulanyi recounted his own ordeal in the military court system. “You all remember that I was personally charged before the same court, and the regime presented two machine guns, claiming they were found in my hotel room in Arua. Of course, eventually, the guns disappeared, and out of both international and local pressure, the charges were dropped,” he said. “This is not academic knowledge. It is a lived experience, and many Ugandans continue to endure it.”
The NUP leader also highlighted the plight of countless party members and supporters who have been detained without trial. “We, as the National Unity Platform, have been the biggest victims of these kangaroo courts. Over thousands of members and supporters were abducted and detained on the orders of the regime, charged with ridiculous trumped-up charges,” Kyagulanyi lamented. “Many of them are still languishing in prison four years on, without trial.”
He accused President Museveni of wielding the military courts as tools of oppression. “The court martial has been turned into a tool of oppression by Gen. Museveni because he has full control of it. He decides who gets charged, what charges are preferred, and who does or doesn’t get bail,” Kyagulanyi said, adding that the practice undermines justice and the rule of law.
Kyagulanyi ended his speech with a joint demand for the immediate release of Dr. Besigye and Kamulegaya or, at the very least, their transfer to a civilian court. “We demand that their charges be dropped, and if they can’t be dropped, let them at least be charged in a civilian court. Because they are civilians, they deserve justice, not intimidation,” he said.
The speech serves as a rallying cry for the opposition, reaffirming its commitment to fight against what it perceives as systemic injustices in Uganda’s legal and political systems.
On the same occasion, members of the opposition from different parties such as Alliance for New Transformation, FDC from Katonga, JEEMA, NUP, and Conservative Party (CP) signed what they called a joint statement and condemned; The abduction of Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajj. Obeid Kamulegeya from Kenya, a sovereign state, on the 16th of November. 2024 in complete violation of domestic, regional and international laws. Their trial in the military court which has no jurisdiction to try civilians, further asserts our belief that they cannot get a free and fair trial at the General Court Martial, where the military is the complainant, the prosecutor and the judge.
They have also demanded an end to the trial of civilians in military courts in adherence to numerous rulings by Uganda’s Constitutional Court. All cases involving the numerous political prisoners and other civilians must be terminated or transferred to civilian courts.
The opposition parties have also called upon Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo and the Supreme Court to rise to the occasion and put an end to the trial of civilians in military courts, and their attendant violations of human rights.
They also demand that the charges against Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajj. Obeid Kamulegeya be dropped and if not, they are swiftly transferred to civilian courts bearing jurisdiction to try the alleged offences.
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