Dr Kizza Besigye, the former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate has been arrested after he outsmarted police and found his way to downtown Kampala.
Besigye beat the 24-hour police surveillance at his home in Kasanganti in Wakiso district this morning to make his way to Nakivubo area. He was intercepted by the Field Force Police personnel around Mini Price building along the Ben Kiwanuka street.
Police swung into action after pictures of the opposition leader waving to the public in the city center atop of his vehicle went viral on social media. Like is the norm these days whenever he steps out his house, Besigye drew swelling crowds whom stick-wielding security personnel beat up and fired teargas at to disperse them.
Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan spokesperson, says Besigye has been whisked off to Naggalama police station in Mukono district. He declined to comment on how Besigye had beaten the heavy police deployment right from his home and Gayaza road to get to the city center.
“All I know is that he has been arrested and is being taken to Nagalama police station,” Onyango. He later told Radio Two (Akaboozi ku biiri) that Besigye had been cleared by Police to go for lunch-hour prayers at Christ the King Church at Colville street but was arrested as soon as he allegedly changed his program and drive into the city apparently to buy clothes.
Besigye, Kampala lord mayor Erias Lukwago and other top FDC party officials and have been under preventive arrest since Justice Steven Kavuma issued orders banning all activities under the defiance campaign.
In a similar development, Police has besieged the offices of Justice Forum party in Mengo, Kampala. The officers stormed the party officials shortly after a press conference addressed by the Jeema president, Asuman Basalirwa.
They ordered all people in the offices to vacate the premises. During the press conference, Basalirwa insisted that Yoweri Museveni was fraudulent elected in the just concluded polls.
“We contend that the election of Mr. Museveni was greatly facilitated by Electoral irregularities and malpractice including massive intimidation and bribery,” he said.
He said despite the fact that Jeema was invited for Museveni’s swearing in ceremony on Thursday, the party would not honour the invitation.
“Attending his swearing would be lending credence and legitimacy to a sham process and in effect abetting electoral fraud,” Basalirwa noted in a statement issued on the official Jeema facebook page.