Winnie Flies South

Mbarara Municipality MP Winnie Byanyima is in southern Africa after attending a seminar in Nairobi at the weekend, reports David Ochami in Nairobi. She left the Kenyan capital on Sunday. The seminar was organised by the East African Women Parliamentary Association at the Pan African Hotel. It was opened on Saturday morning by deputy executive secretary of the East African Community, Dr Sam Nahamya. Participants included women legislators and scholars from the three East African countries. They discussed issues on women empowerment in political and public circles. Byanyima travelled to Nairobi with her son Anselm. Sources at her Luzira home said the MP, who returned home on Sunday, was in a southern African capital, most likely Harare. Appearing on a local Kenyan television station, KTN, on Saturday, Byanyima accused President Museveni of training and arming Interahamwe to attack Rwanda. Museveni described Byanyima as a big liar, adding that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) ought to question her over the allegations. The in-charge of serious crime, Godfrey Bangirana, said yesterday they had opened a file on Winnie over the Interahamwe remarks. Winnie's husband, Col. Kizza Besigye, was also recently quizzed by the CID in connection with bomb blasts in Kampala after the March 12 presidential elections. He had also been blocked by the military at Entebbe from travelling to South Africa. Ends