By Aggrey Baba
Secretary General (SG) of the leading opposition political party, National Unity Platform (NUP), David Lewis Rubongoya and former Leader of Opposition Winnie Kizza of the Gen. Gregory Mugisha Muntu-led Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) have triggered debate online after reacting very differently to the Friday night arrest of newly-sworn-in Masaka City Woman MP Justine Nameere by security operatives in Masaka City.
Rubongoya, whose party has for years accused the state of abducting and illegally detaining opposition supporters, reacted with thinly-veiled vindication, saying many NRM supporters only appreciate the importance of constitutional rights once the same security system turns against them.
“Suddenly, the people who always mock our fight against abductions are decrying the very abductions they have always defended and christened arrests” Rubongoya posted on X, Saturday afternoon, further adding that “they will soon have lawyers filing Habeas Corpus and other applications for their rights to be upheld.”
Rubongoya appeared to reference several NRM cadres who have over the years defended unlawful arrests and violence against foot soldiers.
“All of a sudden, they will remember that there is a document called the Constitution with guarantees of liberty and fair trials,” he added.
Rubongoya, a well trained lawyer and a teacher of the law in one of Uganda’s universities argued that issues of rule of law, human rights and constitutionalism affect everyone regardless of political affiliation, adding that the things they (NUP leaders) say every day about good governance, human rights, and the rule of law are not mere academic concepts.
“They’re like breath, and all of us need them to live and thrive,” he wrote.
But while the Kyagulanyi camp appears to celebrate the apparent irony of the situation, former Leader of Opposition Winnie Kiiza took a different approach, condemning the manner in which counsel Nameere was arrested and insisting that political differences should never justify abuse of rights.
“Following the reported arbitrary arrest of Hon. Justine Nameere, a member of the ruling party NRM, we must all agree on one fundamental principle, that arrests and detentions must be conducted humanely at all times,” Winnie Kiiza wrote on his X handle.
She added that “in cases involving women, additional sensitivity and respect for their dignity must be observed.”
The former leader of opposition stressed that every Ugandan deserves constitutional protection irrespective of political camp, and that whether one belongs to the NRM, the opposition, or no party at all, every citizen is entitled to the full protection of their human rights.
The contrasting reactions from two have exposed the complicated emotions surrounding Namere’s arrest, particularly because she has previously been among the most vocal NRM figures defending security crackdowns against opposition activists, especially supporters of NUP.
Nameere has severally defended the arrests and detentions of opposition supporters, often dismissing accusations of abductions by security agencies.
Many NUP supporters remain in detention or continue facing politically-linked criminal cases, something Rubongoya referenced in his reaction.
Nameere was arrested Friday night by heavily armed operatives in Masaka City just hours after officially taking oath as Member of Parliament.
Videos circulating on social media showed emotional scenes as armed men reportedly picked her up amid chaos and gunfire.
Reports later emerged alleging that security operatives had been monitoring the motor mouth MP’s phone calls after claims surfaced that she had spent the whole day contacting newly-elected NRM lawmakers urging them to boycott a mobilization event organized for Speaker hopeful Oboth-Oboth in Mukono.
The reports further alleged that Nameere, a known Anita Among appologist was promising money to some MPs to frustrate Oboth-Oboth’s mobilization efforts.
Hours after her arrest, reports claimed she was driven under tight security to her residence in Munyonyo, Kampala where security operatives allegedly conducted a late-night search.
Unverified but widely circulating allegations claim sacks of money containing billions of shillings in ugx 50,000 notes were recovered from the MP’s Kampala house, claims which have intensified political speculation because Nameere has recently emerged as one of the strongest public defenders of Speaker Anita Among during growing succession tensions inside yellow camp. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
