There has been continued campaign of distorted information, speculation, biased and unfair criticism of police actions in regard to regulating and close monitoring of col Rtd Dr Kizza Besigye which has been described as house arrest.
The police wishes to categorically state that Rtd Col Dr Kizza Besigye is not under house arrest. He is free and allowed unlimited access to his lawyers, family, party officials among others. However Polices continued regulation and monitoring of Dr Besigye movements, is informed by his defiance actions manifested by unruly and criminal conduct of his supporters in the following unlawful incidents.
On Monday, 15th February 2016, Dr Kizza Besigye and his supporters, attempted to force his way into the city center, in an illegal procession. Besigye had no scheduled program in the city. Traffic police directed him and his crowds to use alternative routes to Makerere but he refused and insisted, together with his crowd illegally occupied punjan junction and blocked the heavy traffic.
On the same day Monday, 15th 2016, Dr Kizza Besigye together with his unruly crowds coming from kasangati towards the city center were intercepted at wandegeya traffic lights and told to move towards Makerere University. Dr Besigye defied the traffic police directive and together with his crowd’s occupied wandegeya traffic light junction. The criminal elements among his supporters attacked the police booth at wandegeya and attempted to lynch one woman sergeant Mburanyina Joyce. She was rescued by crime preventers who fought with those criminal elements.
On Tuesday, 16th February 2016, Rtd Col Dr Kizza Besigye supporters, in a convoy attacked supporters of NRM who were returning from Kololo rally at Nakawa, tearing their party t-shirts and stole their properties. On the same day the group pelted stones to vehicles of innocent travelling public In Kinawataka and Bugolobi areas.
On Thursday, 18th February 2016, Rtd Col Dr Kizza Besigye and a group of his supporters trespassed and attacked a security premise at Naguru, they fought with the police and one senior police officer SP Andrew Musiime was tortured and assaulted by their mob action.
On Friday, 19th February 2016, Dr Kizza Besigye together with party leaders intended to illegally declare and announce presidential elections results in a press conference at Najjanakumbi. The police quickly acted and prevented it from happening. The supporters of Dr Kizza Besigye reacted by causing a spate of violent reactions in many parts of the city which the police and other security agencies managed to stop.
On the 21st February 2016, Rtd Col Dr Kizza Besigye released two statement and released a press conference at his Kasangati home. The first statement was to the youth inciting them to take “over their country “
The second statement was calling all his supporters to accompany him to offices of the electoral; commission ostensibly to pick a copy of his results and to” claim their future back. “
On 28th February 2016, Dr. Kizza Besigye left his home and went to All Saints Church Nakasero to pray, on his way he went on mobilizing his supporters who followed him in a procession towards town, they were intercepted at Watoto Church on Kampala road and Besigye was allowed to proceed to the Nakasero Church. After the church service the traffic police directed Dr Besigye on a particular exit route which he defied and opted to block the road, the police had to tow his car to Kira road where he was later released.
All the above mentioned incidents have properly recorded in video and documented and criminal charges have been filed and presented to the directorate of criminal prosecution of the perpetrators.
There has been many other attempts by Dr Kizza Besigye since the police adopted this preventive approach and in handling these incidents and many others the police acted lawfully, professionally and with utmost restraint despite the incredible provocations.
Accordingly therefore the regulation and close monitoring the movement and actions of Rtd Col Dr Kizza Besigye is within the constitutional and legal mandate of Uganda constitution and is a consequence of utterance and activities that amount to incitement of violence and defiance of the law.
The police shall continue to regulate and closely monitor the movement and activities of Rtd Col Dr Kizza Besigye so that he does not cause danger to public peace and national security until such a time when he retracts his statements of defiance and incitements to violence.
