We wanted to pray to God to reign over the court martial officials and help them understand that there was a ruling by the Constitutional Court against court martial trying civilians
Security forces today sealed off the FDC/People's Front for Freedom (PFF) offices in Rukungiri district, where supporters had gathered to hold prayers for jailed Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajji Lutale Kamuregeya. The two were allegedly abducted in Kenya, recently charged in a court martial, and remanded to Luzira Prison for unlawful possession of firearms.
While the supporters claimed their goal was to seek divine intervention in the prosecution process, security officials stated that they had not been informed beforehand and were unable to provide the necessary guidance.
"You may be in need of praying, but you also need to inform security because you might be having a problem, but the mechanism you're using to solve that problem could cause another problem," said Ongom Wilberforce, the deputy RDC of Rukungiri.
Caleb Musimenta, the office administrator for FDC/PFF Rukungiri, expressed frustration, saying their prayers had been disrupted by unexpected security surveillance.
"This heavy deployment stopping our prayers is uncalled for, and we condemn it," Musimenta stated.
He questioned why their prayers had been singled out, pointing out, "We have always attended church services on Sundays, but you can hardly see any policeman or army officer. What was unique about our prayers?"
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Musimenta clarified that the intention behind the prayers was to appeal for divine guidance for the court martial and to ensure that the accused, Dr. Besigye and Lutale, are tried in civilian courts.
"We wanted to pray to God to reign over the court martial officials and help them understand that there was a ruling by the Constitutional Court against court martial trying civilians," Musimenta explained.
However, Ongom defended the security measures, arguing that the FDC supporters had failed to inform the authorities in advance, which would have allowed for proper planning.
"What if these prayers turn into violent acts? So, to us in security, we can't take chances because in those prayers, someone could be injured or killed. They should have informed us before, and we could have planned how to provide security," Ongom explained.
Ongom also raised concerns about Rukungiri's location as a border district near the Democratic Republic of Congo, fearing the prayers might attract ADF rebels.
"How many people were going to attend the prayers? Where were they coming from? Who are they? We wanted all these questions answered," Ongom said. "Remember, we are a border district, and we also anticipated that these prayers could attract ADF rebels and cause havoc here. So, we don't regret blocking these so-called special prayers."
