A Story Of Two Groups: NUP’s Elite Mutwe, Nubian Li And The Forgotten Prisoners
In a stunning revelation, the former Rubaga deputy Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Anderson Burora has come forward with claims that some of the NUP prisoners, especially those in Luzira Prison expressed disappointment and feelings of betrayal towards the National Unity Platform (NUP) leadership.
According to Burora, these prisoners felt abandoned by their leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, who they claim made no concrete efforts to negotiate their release beyond mere rhetoric.
Appearing on Next Radio alongside, Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, the NUP Deputy Spokesperson, Burora who spent a month in Luzira on remand, said, “I am discussing this from what I observed.”
“I had an opportunity where I was in Luzira to meet some of these young men, and I almost had a discussion with them on a daily trying to understand their stance, their resolve, their current status, and what they think. It was as if they are strong, but yes, for how long can you be strong,” Burora said.
Betrayed
It is on this, that Burora revealed, “to some point, they were thinking that maybe they were betrayed [by NUP] because they were many.”
A Tale of NUP’s Elite and the Forgotten Prisoners
According to Burora, the prisoners revealed that if NUP were serious about their release, they would have employed the same tactics used to free key NUP leaders and personalities, including Bobi Wine, Eddie Mutwe, Bobi’s personal bodyguard, and Nubian Li, Bobi’s longtime music partner in 2021.
In June 2021, 16 NUP supporters led by Nubian Li, and Eddie Mutwe were released on bail, but the party’s inaction has left many prisoners feeling forgotten.
The General Court Martial’s tough bail conditions which included not traveling beyond Kampala, and Wakiso districts, and reporting to General Court Martial every two months, have been consistently violated, with no consequences.
However, despite the General Court Martial’s strict bail conditions, the released NUP leaders have been making international travels and failing to report to court as required.
“Some [prisoners] were released, and some stayed in prison, and efforts between the time they were arrested and the time when some of them were released, and others stayed in prison, they saw that the efforts of getting them out were dwindling, and at the moment, they were at their own,” Burora said.
He added, “it was them to decide. Those I met, had reached a level and they think it’s only them to figure out how to get out of prison,” rather than their NUP leadership.
Burora said, that NUP leaders were being insensitive to prisoners’ afflictions, saying “even if you see what our brothers who belong to the same political house [NUP] say while out is that they [prisoners] be strong and they should not give up until those who arrested them give up.”
“What I want to tell Mufumbiro is that Luzira [Prison] is still large and there are more prisons. They can keep them as long as they can keep them. But to them (prisoners) in prison when they see discussions outside on TV, are not about trying to make sure that they are out and reunited with their families because what they want to hear is that there is a discussion being ignited,”Burora told off, the uncompromising Mufumbiro.
He concluded, “whether you call it a negotiation [with Government], for them they want to hear that there is something that gets them out of the prison. If the military is insisting on having them and it is insisting that they can be on remand, it’s coming to 4th year, and for Olivia [Lutaaya] it’s coming to the third year, they can be on remand and they will have them anyway because it’s the state…”
Broken Promises and Lost Hope
After four years in prison and slow trials, some prisoners have accepted culpability and pleaded for forgiveness, sparking anger from Bobi Wine, who accused the government of “coercing NUP supporters” into confessions.
Meanwhile, in the past, any suggestions of negotiating with the government to ensure that political prisoners regain their freedoms has been met with accusations of bribery by NUP.
The youngest and largest opposition party asserts that negotiating with the “dictator” would be futile, as they have nothing to offer “in return.”
However, critics argue that Bobi Wine is using imprisoned supporters to gain political capital and social media attention. The prisoners, feeling abandoned, have lost trust in NUP’s ability to secure their release.
“How do you strike a balance…can Mufumbiro come to reality and say, can we stop chest thumping, and if not, up to when? They (NUP) have not done enough because prior to the release of the first group which is the elite group of Mufumbiro and Bobi Wine, there were several negotiations.”
Burora asserted, “there were several negotiations all corners….musicians wrote to the president, chairman Nyanzi wrote letters almost every day, though they could have those protruding voices of chest-thumping like they are doing now, but they negotiated until that group was released and it’s on record.”
“…if these girls and boys are entering a pre-bargain, it is because they have lost confidence and hope that people outside cannot fight for them, but themselves…we need to understand that sometimes, it is okay until it is you,” said ex-RCC.
“If Hon Kyagulanyi has issues with these guys taking pre-bargain to make sure they can see how to get out of prison, it is because they are losing trust that people and lawyers outside much as they are making statements here and there, it does not seem to be giving them a remedy that can save them at the moment.”
“Much as you think they are still strong and true to the cause, and to which they must stay to, they are human beings they can break, they can be broken, they want to be reunited with their families, and they want to get out of prison.”
In response, Mufumbiro insisted on not negotiations, asking “how do I bargain for a crime I have not committed? We have tasked the General Military Court Martial to prosecute these cases to finality but they have failed because there is no substantive evidence and our resolve is to break the chains of the impunity.”
“I entirely recognize the sacrifices these comrades in prison are making and we are discussing them now because of these sacrifices. For us who still have a voice, we are here talking about these issues.
Mufumbiro emphasized that, “resilience and stance on what we stand for should prevail and we expect nothing less. We have made enough efforts because they have always been represented at all times they have been produced to court.”