Museveni defends Muhoozi operations, blames Besigye for delaying trial

• Museveni defended recent security operations, saying they are targeting crime and impunity rather than reversing democratic gains.

• He accused Dr Kizza Besigye of deliberately delaying his own trial by refusing to proceed with court hearings.

• The President argued that suspects who intimidate witnesses should not easily be granted bail.

• Museveni also mocked Miria Matembe, saying she appeared to stop limping after leaving court.

President Yoweri Museveni has defended the recent wave of arrests of opposition figures and other Ugandans by security agencies, insisting the operations are aimed at tackling crime, corruption and impunity rather than reversing Uganda's democratic gains.

In a prime time televised address on Saturday, July 4, Museveni said concerns over human rights and the rule of law had been raised during a recent meeting with the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU). 

He argued that security agencies had stepped in to fill gaps left by weak institutions and limited ideological commitment within the State. 

Without mentioning specific arrests, Museveni said recent security operations had been misunderstood as a return to past abuses.

"Security forces have come up to fill the gap. In the past I didn't have enough cadres to fill this gap. This is a counter-offensive against corruption, crime and impunity," he said.

The President maintained that security agencies were operating within the law because suspects were ultimately being presented before courts.

"Therefore, what the security forces have been doing recently is not a regression in the fight for freedom."

He said critics claiming that Uganda was returning to the excesses of previous regimes were mistaken.

"Those who have been putting out the slogan 'Bizeemu', that the bad things of the past are back, are wrong."

Museveni contrasted the current situation with previous governments, saying political suspects then often disappeared or were killed without appearing before court.

"The past meant that when someone got abducted would not come to court but would end up as a dead body in Namanve Forest or River Nile."

The president also showed in the televised address, images of the public executions and  paraded human remains, which were common occurrences in the past regions.

His remarks come after Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba attracted criticism for publicly claiming to detain some opposition figures in his "basement" and for overseeing a series of high-profile arrests that have drawn concern from religious leaders, civil society groups and foreign governments.

But the president defended the CDF, referring to his recent comments about other developed countries where no such freedoms exist.

"Indeed Gen Muhoozi recently pointed out one useful fact. He said many of these people, including those who criticise the NRM, go to Dubai where the place is disciplined. You cannot find in Dubai the press doing what they are doing here."

Museveni singled out opposition veteran Dr Kizza Besigye, accusing him of deliberately frustrating court proceedings since his arrest in November 2024.

"Take the case of Dr Besigye. He was arrested on November 17, 2024. It has been almost two years now. All this time, however, he's been refusing trial; misusing the legal system."

The President questioned why Besigye, whom he described as a democrat and human rights activist, had declined to proceed with trial.

"Why would this democrat and human rights fighter spend so many calories on refusing to come for trial where he has an opportunity to prove his innocence and expose the undemocratic behaviour and dictatorship of Museveni and his family?"

He also criticised what he described as delays within the justice system.

"Why should the legal system for so long allow an accused person to refuse to be tried? Is that a good system?"

Besigye is facing charges including treason and misprision of treason arising from allegations linked to activities in Uganda and neighbouring countries. His case has been repeatedly delayed amid legal disputes over jurisdiction, disclosure of evidence and representation.

In recent weeks, his legal team has suffered setbacks after Kenyan Senior Counsel Martha Karua was deported upon arrival in Uganda, while lead defence lawyer Erias Lukwago was arrested in a separate case and remains under medical treatment following the rejection of his bail application.

Museveni argued that courts should be more cautious when granting bail to suspects accused of intimidating witnesses.

"The arrested opposition law breakers may not get bail because they threaten the security of the witnesses. Because they are not democrats, when we release them they attack the witnesses."

He warned that failure to protect witnesses could ultimately push security agencies towards unlawful methods of dealing with suspects.

"If we allow witnesses to be attacked, in future we may not get witnesses. In the end we may have security forces resorting to extrajudicial killings like someone being shot when they flee from arrest."

The President also referred to veteran politician and activist Miria Matembe, who was recently arrested before being released on bail.

The president purported that Matembe was feigning sickness on court to get public sympathy

"I could even see my sister Matembe limping in court. I was worried, but she forgot to limp when she was leaving court." he aid