The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) has admitted that sister security agencies are holding former President of the National Unity Platform-NUP, Moses Nkonge Kibalama.
Speaking to reporters today at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, Brig. Flavia Byekwaso, the spokesperson of the UPDF said that whereas it’s true that other security agencies are holding Kibalama for his own safety, she declined to name who were holding him. She also made it clear that UPDF is not involved in the operation.
Byekwaso added however that whoever is holding Kibalama is holding him for a good reason because security received credible intelligence information that there were some people who wanted to harm him.
“The presence of soldiers, the police and others at his premises I know is for a good reason. From what I picked there were intelligence reports that indicated threats to his life and planned violence to his premises. So these are security guards protecting his premises,” said Byewkaso.
Two days ago information emerged that soldiers had surrounded the home of Kibalama found in Nansana municipality in Wakiso district and had taken him to an unknown location with his known cellphone switched off. Byewkaso who refused to disclose the actual nature of the threat said that the security was holding Kibalama in order to give him maximum security.
“Don’t ask me why because everybody knows how to do their work. The security depends on the gravity of the threat, if in their assessment the threat required them to remove him and put him somewhere to give him maximum security, that is what is going on,” says Byekwaso.
Yesterday a video of Kibalama emerged online denouncing Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the new president of NUP. In the video where Kibalama looked seemingly composed but tired said Kyagulanyi had failed to meet his part of the bargain. He said he had been promised $5 million but none of this has materialized. He also admitted that indeed he had left out members of his party when they held a delegate’s conference in July in which they elected Kyagulanyi and his confidants as the new leaders of the 16-year-old party. “When someone comes up with an offer as good as five million US dollars, any individual will go in for the same. That’s how we fell into the trap. If we didn’t bring in People Power group, the party would still be flourishing,” said Kibalama.
But speaking to reporters today following a court appearance in which his leadership of the party is challenged by a section of members, Kyagulanyi denied ever promising to pay Kibalama any money. He said the State is behind Kibalama’s change of mind to try and derail his plans of taking on President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the 2021 general elections.
“Museveni is doing everything possible so that I don’t appear on the ballot paper, this has been evident from challenging my academic qualifications, my date of birth, planting guns in my room and much more, we guarantee you that you are going to see many unbelievable things but I guarantee you Mr Museveni that we are going to defeat you in a democratic election,” says Kyagulanyi.
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