The Police and Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) soldiers have maintained deployment at opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party offices in Rukungiri district.

The deployment at the party offices located along Republic Road in Rukungiri town follows reports that some party leaders are preparing to hold prayers over the arrest and remanding of Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya.

Prayers had been planned to be presided over by a priest at Nyakibale Catholic Parish in Kabale diocese in collaboration with religious leaders from the Anglican and Born-Again communities.

Caleb Musimenta, the FDC party secretary general for Rukungiri district says that while the prayers had been planned, security personnel blocked access to the party offices.   Musimenta expresses frustration accusing security of disrupting the prayers for no reason.

However, Wilberforce Ongom Ahimbisibwe, Rukungiri Deputy Resident District Commissioner defends the deployment saying that security had not been briefed about the gathering as stipulated in the Public Order Management Act. He adds that security deployment will stay at the party offices until a consensus between security and organizers of the prayers is reached.

Besigye and Lutare were arrested last week from Riverside Apartments in Nairobi, Kenya. They were accused of being unlawfully in possession of two pistols; model 27 KAL No. 765 and HB 1014 1953 and eight rounds of pistol ammunition.

They were brought to Uganda and paraded before Makindye military court martial, charged with endangering the security of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) contrary to the UPDF Act.

Court heard that the duo and others still at large, between October 2023 and November 2024, allegedly held meetings in Geneva (Switzerland), Athens (Greece), and Nairobi (Kenya) aimed at soliciting logistical support and identifying military targets in Uganda with intent to prejudice the security of the defence forces. They were remanded to Luzira Maximum Prison until December 2nd.