NEWS FROM BOBI WINE

29th March 2021: A Tweet from Bobi Wine on 29th March – another story of abduction and torture with a  short video by “Ronald Segawa, a young man who was abducted and tortured in the most horrendous manner, for simply doing a video in support of our party ahead of the election. Thankfully he’s now recovering and able to tell what happened.”

 

In a speech I watched last week on YouTube, Bobi Wine asked, “What is our way forward as Ugandans? We have said, for NUP, we are:

  1. Servant leadership;
  2. Committed to non-violence;
  3. Engage all democratic peace processes as peace activists;
  4. Inspire communities to refuse to be intimidated;
  5. Continue to celebrate our identity as Ugandans;
  6. Continue to reclaim and demand justice for our stolen [Presidential] victory;
  7. Demand release of all prisoners of conscience and investigations of mysterious deaths of religious leaders after calling for justice.”

“All we need is justice. All we need is peace. We need honest dialogue and speaking the truth at all levels. It is a constitutional right for us to speak, to act, to participate. We must go back to the drawing board. It is incumbent on all of us to do our part, peacefully.”

 

18th April 2021: “Yesterday we concluded a two day retreat in Jinja for NUP leaders (NEC, MPs, District Chairpersons & Mayors). It was time well spent as we reflected on our party, the just concluded elections, and how we ought to operate as leaders.”

 

Bobi Wine said the retreat ended with these seven resolutions:

1. We recognised our achievements thus far as NUP, and we thanked the people of Uganda for the immense support they continue to extend to us in all ways.
2. As leaders, we recommitted ourselves to the struggle for freedom and democracy in Uganda. To that end, we committed to continue the struggle against Museveni’s brutal and dictatorial regime.
3. We committed to use the positions we hold as leaders in Parliament and Local Government to further the struggle for freedom and democracy.
4. We took an oath of allegiance to the values of NUP, and to serve Ugandans diligently. All leaders took an integrity pledge, and promised to shun corruption in word and action.
5. We agreed that through consultations, as leaders we shall submit thoughts to the Constitutional Review Committee headed by Hon. Medard Ssegona, which was instituted at the party delegates conference in August 2020. The committee was tasked with coming up with ways we can strengthen our 16 year old Party Constitution so that it matches the democratic needs of the day.
6. We set up select committees for the parliamentary caucus and the local government leadership to steer the process of determining who we shall back for positions such as Speakership in Parliament and Local Councils.
7. We resolved to have a countrywide tour by our President and other party leaders across the country to connect with our leaders, thank Ugandans for their support, open party offices, and engage in other party activities across the country.
“I am grateful to all leaders who attended, and hope they will live by the oath they took.” – Bobi Wine

 

19th April 2021: Bobi Wine issued “This statement regarding the announcement of visa restrictions by US Secretary of State, on Ugandan officials who illegally interfered with the recent election, rendering it neither free nor fair.”

When will the UK Government act in the same way – and hopefully go even further?

9th April 2021: Uganda’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Martins Okoth Ochola said, early this year, at a joint security press briefing, that police would continue beating journalists for their own safety. “It is the media targeting security. It is portraying security as brutal and siding with the government. When we tell a journalist, don’t go there and you insist on going where there is danger, we shall beat you for your own safety. I have no apology,” He has now backtracked and said he was joking. Who believes that???