By Aggrey Baba
NUP Acting President and MP for Manjiya constituency, Bududa District, John Baptist Nambeshe has sent a defiant message to the government, declaring that months of incarceration have failed to break the spirit of the party’s detained leaders and supporters or extinguish their desire for political change.
Speaking as the Kavule-based political outfit welcomed back a number of comrades who had recently walked out of prolonged detention, Nambeshe said the experience of imprisonment had demonstrated a fundamental truth that the NRM government should not ignore: that a person’s body can be confined, but their spirit, convictions and political ideas cannot be locked away.
His remarks came during a NUP press conference organized to receive former political prisoners, including the party’s Deputy President for Buganda, Muwanga Kivumbi, as well as Bobi Young and Sauda Madada, both party foot soldiers who had been released earlier.
Nambeshe praised them for remaining courageous and disciplined despite spending prolonged periods away from their families and political activities.
“You can imprison a human body, but not a human spirit. Whenever we visited you, Honourable Muwanga, even during the many times we came to secure your bail, we would find you in high spirits,” Nambeshe said, adding that the former Butambala County MP’s conduct while behind bars had particularly impressed party leaders, recalling that he remained calm and respectful during their visits despite the uncertainty surrounding his freedom.
He said the experience had also helped the party appreciate the difference between physically restraining an individual and extinguishing the political convictions that individual holds.
“You can intimidate the human body, but not the spirit, nor the idea of change whose time has come,” he said.
The NUP acting president used the occasion to praise the released comrades for their perseverance, saying their return should encourage other party members who remain in prison or are still facing legal battles.
He recalled that party leaders had previously returned from visits to detained comrades with the message of “keeping hope alive”, which became a source of encouragement to other NUP supporters.
Nambeshe also invoked the biblical story of Joseph, who was imprisoned before eventually rising to a position of influence, telling the released comrades that their incarceration should not necessarily be viewed as the end of their political journey.
The remarks were particularly directed at Kivumbi, who had spent months in Kitalya Prison amid a series of legal battles.
On Tuesday, Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court granted Kivumbi bail, but he was ordered to surrender his travel documents and observe restrictions imposed by court.
But Nambeshe’s message was not limited to those who had just regained their freedom.
He also turned his attention to NUP candidates and Members of Parliament whose election victories or positions remain subject to court challenges.
Congratulating those who have already succeeded in their election petitions, he urged those still fighting their cases before the High Court across the country to remain focused and confident in the judicial process.
“To our Members of Parliament and candidates who are still battling their election petitions before the High Court across the country, you have our prayers. Stay focused. The truth will come out and justice will eventually prevail,” Nambeshe said.
He told the returning comrades that the NUP fraternity had not forgotten them while they were incarcerated, saying they had remained in the thoughts of party leaders and supporters.
The press conference therefore served a dual purpose: welcoming back political prisoners who had been released while reminding those still involved in legal battles that the party continued to stand with them. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
