Ahead elections, Police arrest Museveni’s opponents

Ahead of the general elections next year in Uganda, the police have arrested two leading opponents of President Yoweri Museveni of the ruling NRM.

Former prime minister Patrick Amama Mbabazi from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and Kizza Besigye from the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) were separately arrested Thursday.

Lawyer to Mbabazi, who was preparing to challenge President Yoweri Museveni in the 2016 elections, Fred Muwema, said his client was held in Njeru, 80 kilometres of Kampala on his way to address a rally.

“Mbabazi was arrested with his daughter and driver, but police say they carried out preventive arrests,’’ the lawyer said.

However, the police said that the rally Mbabazi was planning to address was illegal and that any member of the public trying to attend it would be breaking the law.

Reports said Mbabazi was later released on bail but could not be immediately confirmed.

The arrest took place while Museveni was in Juba to attend the Independence Day celebrations of South Sudan.

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One of Africa’s longest-serving rulers, Museveni was expected to seek a new term in elections scheduled for February 2016. Critics say he has prevented the opposition from campaigning in order to extend his 29-year rule.

Mbabazi was regarded one of Uganda’s most powerful men until Museveni sacked him from the post of prime minister in 2014 over his alleged presidential ambition.

Besigye, another opposition leader and presidential hopeful, was also arrested near Kampala, a report said.

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