John Njoroge
24 April 2011
Four diplomats on Friday afternoon made a surprise visit to the Nakasongola Prison where Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader Kizza Besigye and Democratic Party’s Norbert Mao are being detained for various alleged offences.
The two opposition leaders were remanded for allegedly inciting violence, assaulting a police officer and participating in unlawful assembly following the on going walk-to-work campaign over high fuel and commodity prices.
Sunday Monitor has since established that two days ago, several key FDC and DP officials including Mr Sam Njuba, Prof. Ogenga Latigo and Mathias Nsubuga met the two detained party leaders at Nakasongola.
This was after the four diplomats meeting with Besigye and Mao.
“Yes we can confirm that four diplomats have met and held a meeting with Besigye and Mao,” reliable sources that declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter told this newspaper yesterday evening.
However, the source declined to name the diplomats.
The diplomats arrived in the afternoon in Dutch and Irish embassy vehicles and spent close to three hours with the two opposition leaders.
According to a source in Nakasongola Prison, the diplomats and the two opposition leaders are said to have engaged each other in what can only be described as ‘rigorous political discussions’.
Although its not clear what the diplomats discussed with the two leaders, sources said Besigye and Mao were allowed to share their personal views about what is happening in the country .
“They also had the opportunity to send a message to the diplomatic community as political prisoners,” the sources added. Besigye marked his 55th birthday in prison on Friday.
Sunday Monitor can reveal that the diplomats are donors to the Justice Law and Order Sector and had received a special invitation from the Uganda Prisons Service to see the conditions in which Mr Mao and Dr Besiye are being held.
Dr Besigye was remanded on Thursday by a Nabweru court after the State accused him and three others of engaging in an unlawful assembly.
No bail
The Nabweru Chief Magistrate Justine Atukwasa refused to grant him bail because there are “other pending matters”.
In a statement before he was remanded, Dr Besigye said the circumstances under which he was being sent to prison were disturbing and that the Force was trying to use courts to persecute and infringe on his rights.
He said he was not the one on trial but the police and the courts.
Sources said Mr Mao, who is apparently in very high spirits, met the diplomats while dressed in a yellow prisons shirt and shorts.
Nakasongola Prison is a new prison facility which was built and commissioned in 2007. It has a capacity of 800 inmates, but now holds 300.
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