Why negotiate with our tormentor to get our freedom back – Ssegirinya, Ssewanyana
We were released because of the constant pressure that came from our people, the media, and the international community,” he said.
National Unity Platform (NUP)’s Members of Parliament (MPs) Muhammad Ssegirinya (Kawempe North) and Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West) have for the first time since their release from Kitalya Prison on bail spoken to Uganda.
The two frail MPS addressed a press conference at the NUP headquarters in Kamwokya.
They used the presser to narrate their ordeal and life in prison without a ‘fair trial’, the psychological torture they have undergone and all that they lost while they were incarcerated.
The MPs also used the press conference to clarify that their release was not politically negotiated but rather was after the court saw it fit to grant them bail as recommended in the constitution of Uganda.
There weren’t any negotiations prior to our release, Ssegirinya told journalists. “We were released because of the constant pressure that came from our people, the media, and the international community,” he said.
Ssewanyana said the people who were talking about the negotiations had selfish interests. “Why would I pay UGX 20 million and my passport withheld if there were negotiations?” he questioned.
“It was the first time I heard about that. Why would we negotiate? I am innocent. Our lawyers requested bail, and bail was granted. It’s so sad that some leaders use such situations to spread propaganda,” he added.
But despite the two years in prison and the sickness, Ssewanyana said they are not broken politically. “To the people in our constituencies, thank you for speaking up for us, and we promise to compensate for these two years we have been jailed,”
He explained that life in prison wasn’t pleasant because he fell ill and could barely move or talk. I was advised to see a therapist after my medication, he reveals.
Ssegirinya is saddened that while he was in prison, his programs like the community hospital and SEGBox initiative collapsed. “I am the only MP who executed his manifesto in two months. This didn’t sit well with several people,” he said.
“We want to thank our Party, NUP, for their efforts and our lawyers who toiled tirelessly to get us freedom, one could call temporary freedom,” the MPs said.
