The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) based in Najjanankumbi has faulted the government for believing the false claims of torture by the opposition made by Moses Ssimbwa on Friday, January 26 during the 38th National Resistance Movement (NRM) Anniversary Celebrations held at St.Johns Secondary School in Wakitaka, Jinja City.
According to John Kikonyogo, the FDC party Spokesperson at Najjanankumbi, it is a total shame for the government to give a national platform to Ssimbwa to accuse the opposition of torturing Ugandans who have fought for peace for decades.
He made the remarks during the press conference held at FDC party headquarters in Najjanankumbi on Entebbe Road, Kampala on Monday, January 29, 2024.
“Ssimbwa’s opposition torture accusations are a total shame to not only Museveni’s regime but also the country at large. That was comedy because one time the same Ssimbwa approached the NEED party and accused other parties of failure to pay him the amount of money agreed upon after being paraded in a Human rights conference in Nairobi- Kenya,” Kikonyogo said.
He added that it was uncomplicated for the government to understand that Ssimbwa was a fraudster who was seeking favors from President Museveni for survival.
Kikonyongo further explained that the opposition can’t abduct people and deliver them to government prisons and safe houses, stating that the government should arrest the opposition elements who have been implicated because none of them is above the law.
“They should arrest opposition elements involved in such crimes of abductions. I think government intelligence is weak. How can someone reveal such a sensible issue and no arrest is made,” he asked.
At the Uganda Human Rights Accountability Conference in Ufungamano House, Nairobi on November 17, 2022, Ssimbwa was joined by other supposed “torture victims,” including Richard Ssebuganda (who lost his hand to a teargas canister during a students’ strike at Makerere University in 2020), and Moses Kamuswaga (who was injured while attempting to detonate a tear gas canister in 2012).