Besigye return: Live update

THURSDAY 12th 2011

13:35 EAT: Still at Kisubi, convoy moving slowly, beatings of the people by soldiers continue as people throw stones at them in retaliation. The army has started firing in the air and crowds dash for dear life. Police starts using blue teargas colouring almost all the people in the crowd.


13:18 EAT: Winnie gets out of the car, refuses to put the injured man on the ambulance for fear he will be killed because it is a police ambulance. The injured man Yusuf Kavuma is a journalist with Sky Magazine he was taking a photo of a military guy beating the crowds and his head was hit and he started bleeding.

13:17 EAT: It has attracted attention of the crowds ahead and they are coming back to see what happens.

13:15 EAT Thousands of supporters, Fire brigade vehicles also in the middle of the convoy.

13:10 EAT: Kisubi military starts beating people who are standing on the road sides and people react by throwing stones.

13:03 EAT: One injured man, DP President Mao, MP Elijah Okupa helping him onto the police ambulance. He has been hit on the head and is bleeding profusely. Mao’s shirt full of blood. The army and military have reinforced and come in plenty.

12:57 EAT: Military attempts to divert the convoy at Kitala to take some panya roads to town but Dr Besigye resisted and it continued moving but a very slow pace. Many army trucks with SFG soldiers are moving very close to Besigye in their cars. Crowds have reduced and many stuck on the roads sides watching.

11:30 EAT: Still at Abayita ababiri crowds have become much more and almost 20 vehicles of military, regular, anti-riot, teargas and army have broken into the convoy making it stuck.

11:04 EAT: At Abayita ababiri convoy takes more than 30minutes yet it is less than a km from Kitubulu. Crowds keep growing and cars from Kampala are stuck on the road and for those with a flight to take, they could be stuck.

11:04 EAT: At Kitubulu Police starts caning each and everyone and the numbers have reduced. Besigye has stopped to find out what is happening to his people. The number of walkers had reduced. Military police got tree branches and decided to beat whoever was following.

10:53 EAT: Military police mounts 2 road blocks one at the UN base and the second at Kitubulu centre where more crowds are waiting for the opposition leader.

10:47 EAT: At the Total and Shell petrol stations, there are over 500 people following him and the crowds keep growing, by-standers are also so many. People have made two lanes in the road and police is trying to force them into one lane.

10:38 EAT: At Muzinga trading center, police tries to block the masses but they have now grown. A group ahead of Besigye car is carrying a banner with words; “Entebbe municipality welcomes back Dr Besigye” and they are making Police work very difficult. He is dressed with a blue Scarf inscribed ‘walk to walk’.

10:30 EAT: Besigye convoy of only three vehicles reach Kitoro trading center where people have waited behind buildings after being chased by police. They follow, shouting praises to him, making his travel at a snail speed.

People keep swelling in numbers at each moment. And as he approaches state house, anti-riot police, fully dressed is very heavy and they are dispersing people who won’t relent. Dr Besigye, waiving at his people, is being driven in blue surf UAJ O54B.

10:20 EAT: Only five journalists from NTV, Radio One, New Vision, NBS and Red Pepper have been allowed into the Entebbe Airport VIP lounge where Dr Kizza Besigye is still negotiating with security officials to allow him address a press conference. Assistant Inspector General of Police Asan Kasingye read out a list of the media houses, excluding Daily Monitor, which would be allowed into the lounge. FDC officials Maj. Gen Mugisha Muntu, Bugweri MP Abdu Katuntu, Chapaa Karuhanga, Bukhooli Central MP-elect Wafula Oguttu, Kitgum Woman MP Beatrice Anywar, Mbale Municipality MP Wamai Wamanga and Joyce Ssebugwawo are inside the lounge.

Meanwhile, a number of other party officials have also been refused access to the airport and are waiting with supporters in Kitooro area of Entebbe.

Our reporters say police and soldiers are beating and chasing away people who wanted to welcome Dr Besigye from the Entebbe-Highway.

10:00 EAT: Forum for Democratic Change president, Dr Kizza Besigye, has arrived in the country aboard a Kenya Airways which landed at Entebbe Airport shortly before 9.30 a.m., bringing an end to a fiasco lasting more than 24 hours when the airline yesterday offloaded him from its early morning flight. Riot and regular police backed by soldiers are crawling all over the airport. Daily Monitor reporters in the arrivals section report that even on the steps leading up to the VIP lounge, police have posted men. Two police escort vehicles are waiting on the tarmac to escort the opposition leader to Kampala.

WEDNEDAY 11th 2011

19: 00 EAT: Kenya Airways flight KQ 414 has left Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, at 1750hrs without opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye. He had been re-scheduled to come aboard this flight following this morning’s dramatic events which saw the airline offload him from the early morning flight on the grounds that they had intelligence the plane would not be allowed to land at Entebbe, Uganda with him on board.

16: 50 EAT: It remains unclear whether Dr Besigye will be aboard his rescheduled Kenya Airways flight to Uganda this evening. Family sources have told Daily Monitor that the opposition leader and his wife are still at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport but have not given any indication that they have changed their minds about not coming on the night flight.

15: 58 EAT: Opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye remains at Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport minutes after Kenya Airways issued a statement that the evening flight to Uganda will be allowed to land with him on board. Sources close to the family say he is still exploring all his options and has not taken a position on whether to accept the offer or not.

15: 30 EAT: Kenya Airways has confirmed to its passengers, customers, investors and the public that Ugandan Opposition Leader Dr. Kizza Besigye is now scheduled to depart on KQ414/11th May departing Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for Entebbe International Airport at 1750hrs. The airline has now confirmed and issued Dr. Besigye and his wife tickets to depart Nairobi in the evening. The airline takes earliest opportunity to apologize to Dr. Besigye for any inconveniences caused.

13: 50 EAT: Dr Besigye remains locked in negotiations with Kenya Airways officials over which alternative flight he can take to Uganda after the airline offloaded him off the early morning KQ 410 today. The discussions are underway at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Forum for Democratic Change officials say the 7.00 a.m. flight for tomorrow appears to be fully booked.

13: 30 EAT: Traders at the busy down-town Kisekka Market in central Kampala have closed their shops and are staring down riot police and other security personnel. Matters quickly threatened to get out of hand at about 1.00 p.m. when tempers boiled over as discussions over the refusal to allow Dr Besigye to return home aboard a Kenya Airways flight this morning became heated. Our reporters on the scene report a stand-off of sorts as the police deploy in very large numbers.

12: 15 EAT: Information reaching the Media Centre is that Dr. Kizza Besigye has been offered a seat on the 5:00 pm Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi. Dr. Besigye has apparently rejected this arrangement with Kenya Airways opting to travel tomorrow or at a later date.

11: 23 EAT: Three hours after he checked in, opposition leader Dr Besigye is still waiting for an explanation from Kenya Airways as to why they offloaded him from the morning KQ 410 flight which landed in Entebbe, Uganda, shortly 9.00 a.m. this morning. FDC sources tell Daily Monitor their leader is still seated in the VIP section of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport’s departures’ lounge.

11: 23 EAT: Police has heavily deployed along Entebbe-Kampala Highway. Our reporters says civilians are not being allowed to come close to the road. Further back in Entebbe, the military police and riot police have also staked out the airport and the route leading into town.

10:49 EAT: Opposition politicians led by FDC party vice president for eastern Uganda, Ms Salaam Musumba, have just addressed a press conference at Kitooro in Entebbe. Ms Musumba said Dr Besigye checked in this morning at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and boarded Kenya Airways flight K410, but was later offloaded. The party official said Kenya Airways individuals have since intimated to them that they allegedly received intelligence advice from Kenya security claiming that Dr Besigye presented “a security risk.” After the press conference ended, the opposition politicians boarded a bus and have headed back to Entebbe Airport. Journalists continue to be denied access to the airport premises by assorted security operatives and have pitched camp at Kitooro, more than a kilometre away.

10:36 EAT: Ugandan Government is due to issue a statement about the controversy surrounding FDC leader Dr Besigye’s aborted return to Uganda from Nairobi, Kenya. A message from the government media centre says Mr Fred Opolot, director of centre will address journalists at 11:30 a.m. in Kampala. Dr. Besigye was expected aboard the KQ 410 flight which landed at Entebee shortly after 9.00 a.m. this morning but was apparently forced off the plane before it could fly. Dr. Besigye had been receiving treatment for injuries he sustained when he was brutally arrested by security agents two weeks back

10:15 EAT: FDC officials in Kampala who called Dr Besigye on phone from the JKIA Nairobi airport lounge report that Kenya Airways management has gone into a closed door meeting as Dr Besigye waits for details of the Ugandan government alleged communication advising that their aircraft should not fly the opposition leader to Uganda Wednesday morning. Dr Besigye is with his wife Winnie Byanyima and a nurse.

09:45 EAT: Kenya Airways sources have reportedly privately informed Forum for Democratic Change officials that they were allegedly advised by Kenyan intelligence to offload Dr Kizza Besigye from the morning flight to Entebbe which landed shortly after 9.00 a.m. this morning. Aboard the flight was former Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi who is one of the invited foreign dignitaries expected to attend President Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony for a fifth term five-year term in office scheduled for tomorrow.

09:20 EAT: Entebbe Airport in crawling with police dogs and security is on high alert after reports filtered through that Dr Kizza Besigye has not been allowed to fly into the country aboard the morning Kenya Airways flight. Forum for Democratic Change officials including vice president Salaam Musumba, Maj. Ruranga Rubaramira, Kyaddondo East MP-elect Ibrahim Ssemujju along with Kampala City mayor-elect Erias Lukwago are at the airport.

Journalists have been refused access to the premises with security ordering them to remain in Kitooro area of Entebbe, more than a kilometre away from the airport.

08:30 EAT: Opposition leader, Dr Kizza Besigye, is stuck at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Kenya after he was stopped from boarding a Kenya Airways flight to Uganda Wednesday morning. The Ugandan government however denied any such communication. When contacted Internal Affairs Minister Kirunda Kivejinja said the government can’t act such crudely “and that Uganda doesn’t have any authority on Kenya Airways flights.”