As if to celebrate their triumph after being awarded the prize for the most corrupt institution in East Africa in the East African Bribery Index 2011, the Ugandan Police yesterday arrested the Opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye as he was leaving his home to walk to work. Although the courts have consistently ruled that walking to work does not constitute treason and arbitrary arrest is unlawful, the police have continued their policy of pre-emptive strikes to prevent him doing or saying anything political.
Dr Besigye, who is the leader of the Forum for Democratic Change political party, was held in his house under “preventive arrest” until last week. Not surprisingly, when the matter came before a magistrate, the magistrate ruled that the imprisonment of Dr Besigye was unlawful, and that restraining him for more than 48 hours without presenting him to a court was a violation of his rights under the Constitution.
Yesterday morning, as Dr Besigye was seeking to leave his house to walk to work the police reportedly stopped him and gave him the options of returning home, driving to work or being arrested. They then pushed him into a police van and subsequently drove him to an undisclosed location. In the past, the police have justified their frequent arrests of Dr Besigye by arguing that in his walks to work he is accompanied by rowdy crowds who engage in criminal behaviour.