Kampala, Uganda |URN | Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo has said that government and its leadership has a long good track record of not harming or killing politicians, their families or its opponents.
Ofwono Opondo was responding to claims by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine that his children were taken abroad for fear of being injured by security, and the fact that they have been living in fear.
Ofwono Opondo said that this is not true as Kyagulanyi claims but an old narrative that has previously been employed by Winnie Byanyima, Dr Kizza Besigye and their surrogates.
“Remember Besigye and Sejusa even fled Uganda claiming their were in danger. Besigye and Byanyima claimed that Besigye would be poisoned while in Luzira prison 2006.”
Opondo says that Kyagulanyi is lying because he has been caught off guard yet he has been encouraging other people’s relatives into violent riots and harm’s way.
“To the contrary, it’s Kyagulanyi who has been defiant throughout this election campaign, including assaulting police officers on lawful duty and insulting whoever disagrees with him. NRM government and its leadership has a long good track record of not harming or killing politicians, their families or opponents,” he says.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oyrem says that if Kyagulanyi says that his family has been living in constant fear, every Ugandan is living in constant fear and he doesn’t care for them. He says Kyagulanyi has secured his family and is now leaving Ugandans and their families to suffer during the revolution.
Oryem says it is not true that there are any plans to harm Kyagulanyi and his family. He however says government will however not tolerate anything done outside the law.
He adds that Kyagulanyi’s true character has been seen at this time, where like a clever Mr. Hare, he has told Ugandans to throw their mother in the water, and yet he only threw a mortar and pestle.
Jacob Siminyu, the Immigration spokesperson has refuted claims by Kyagulanyi that immigration officials had leaked the travel details of the children who are travelling to the USA.
He says the people who should be asked are the airlines, and individuals who could have had access to these details.
Kyagulanyi explains his children’s trip to the USA
Meanwhile, the National Unity Platform [NUP] presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has said that, he sent his four children on vacation to the USA over safety reasons.
Kyagulanyi’s four children flew out of the country on Wednesday 6, January 2021.
Although he didn’t specify the duration of his children’s stay in the USA, Kyagulanyi says that the children will temporarily live in the USA throughout the country’s post-election period.
Kyagulanyi who featured in Busoga one FM’s morning show on Thursday, stresses that for close to three years, his family members have faced numerous attacks from unknown people but the threats have intensified in the past two months.
“During our attempt to block article 102(b) of the constitution, grenades were hurled at my elder son’s bedroom and since then, the threats have intensified prompting to temporarily move them to a safer place; I and my wife resolved to stay back and continue agitating for the peace and freedoms within our country,” he says.
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He adds: “I received intelligence information on how some elements within government had planned to kidnap my children and force me to sign political agreements against my will, therefore our friends in the Diaspora resolved to stay with the children for the meantime.”
Kyagulanyi further says that unknown vehicles have been tracking his family members which had made their area of residence unsafe for them. “The tension has been too much with several cars trailing us around, I tried relocating them to other areas but the trailing continued to date,” he says.
