Besigye barred from walk to work again
Besigye being stopped by the Police from engaging in walk to work campaigns near his Kasangati home. Photo by Isaac Kasamani.
UPDATE 11:30am: Daily Monitor reporter John Njoroge reports that Dr Besigye has been returned to his house, where he addressed the media. A police officer identified Tanui Stephen has said he had put Dr Besigye under ‘preventive arrest.’
It is the second time this morning police is forcing Dr. Besigye back home. Earlier Dr. Besigye had earlier attempted to walk through his farm to a place called Masooli, a few meters from his family gate, but the police pursued him and later surrounded him. Anti-riot police used teargas to disperse reporters and residents who had gathered around the scene before shoving the opposition leader into a police mini-bus, where he was held for about 30 minutes, as the media watched from a distance. Dr. Besigye reportedly insisted that he be charged but the police officers said they had no orders to have him charged or detained. They however insisted that the opposition leader must return to his house. While in the police van, our reporter says a human rights activist identified as Sara Toner approached the van and was seen engaging the police officers in a discussion before the police drove Dr Besigye back to his house.
Njoroge has established that Ms Toner, human rights officer, at the United Nations office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He says she got out of her Prado car and walked towards the van holding Dr Besigye and it seems after a discussion, they agreed to have him returned home- leaving him at his gate.
Njoroge reports that Dr Besigye has vowed to keep walking until he is detained or charged or otherwise. He is currently in his house and his compound is surrounded by riot police and regular police.
Heavily armed security personnel have blocked opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye from walking from his home in Kasangati along Kampala-Gayaza Highway.
Dr Besigye together with his driver Fred Kato and two aides Martin Byomuhangi and Moses Byamugisha walked out of the home using the back gate at 8am and embarked on their journey. However, the group was intercepted by plain clothed police personal moving on a patrol car as they approached Kasangati health centre located about a kilometer from his home.
Dr Besigye and the trio tried to resist arrest and the ensuing scuffle, riot police fired teargas to disperse crowds which had began swelling .They were bundled onto a police patrol car and taken to Kasangati Police Station . This follows a resumption of the walk-to-work campaign by the Action for Change (A4C) pressure group which spearheaded the April-May protests against the rising cost of living and runaway inflation. The week-long protests kicked-off yesterday. Police, however, deployed heavily and the protests flopped.
Although Dr Besigye insisted that they charge him, the police detectives at Kasangati Police refused, saying they had no charges to prefer against him and instead drove him back to home together with Byomuhangi. Both Kato and Byamugisha are still detained at Kasangati Police Station.
Some journalists were barred from accessing Dr Besigye’s home as heavy police deployment kept guard of the premises and its environs. As news trickled in that the opposition leader had been confined at his home, his angry supporters within Kasangati town started barricading the road prompting Police to fire more teargas.
At 10am, Dr Besigye attempted to move out of the home using the swampy side of his farm , however, he was again blocked by Police under the command of Kampala North Regional Police Commander Stephen Tanui. This is the second time in six months the opposition leader has been blocked from leaving his home.
ikasamani@ug.nationmedia.com
No comments:
Post a Comment