Musinguzi is missing

BY GRACE MATSIKO AND KYOMUHENDO MUHANGA FORMER Kinkizi West parliamentary candidate James Musinguzi Garuga is reported missing.Family members and Betty Kamya, the spokesperson for Reform Agenda, a political group to which Musinguzi subscribes, said he was being detained at Kanyantorogo UPDF detachment in Kanungu. They said he was arrested by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) for reportedly mobilising youth for subversion.Defence minister Amama Mbabazi said the army was not aware of Musinguzi’s arrest. Musinguzi was a campaigner for former presidential candidate Col. Kizza Besigye, now in self-imposed exile. Musinguzi lost the Kikinzi west parliamentary seat to Mbabazi last year. He filed a petition in the High Court seeking to unseat Mbabazi, claiming the elections were rigged in his favour.Justice Egonda Ntende is set to deliver the judgement soon. Asked if local politics was behind the alleged arrest, Mbabazi said, “The story that I am behind (the alleged arrest) is not true. It is ridiculous and foolish.“Why should I arrest Musinguzi? If I was to arrest him I would have done it not to allow him stand. I have no problem with him.”He said he came to know about the reported arrest when The New Vision contacted him.“We have no knowledge of the arrest of Muzinguzi at all—at least not by the army or any government armed forces,” army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said.Mbarara Municipality MP Winnie Byanyima and a member of Reform Agenda said, “They are trying to intimidate Musinguzi because they think he can influence the April 14 Rukungiri elections.” Byanyima is Besigye’s wife.She demanded that Mbabazi explains Musinguzi’s whereabouts since he was arrested by soldiers.Kamya said, “He is accused of recruiting rebels but we believe the reason is politics and the fact that he filed a petition seeking to nullify the election of Mbabazi.” Musinguzi’s family in Kampala said they last had contact with him on Friday when he left for Kanungu for Easter. Reform Agenda officials told western Uganda-based radios that plain-clothes men claiming to be from CMI had arrested Musinguzi.They said Musinguzi was picked up at 2:00pm from his father in-law’s in Kanyantorogo where he had gone with his wife Dr. Peace to celebrate Easter. Kanyantorogo is a remote area close to the Uganda-Congo border.The UPDF second Division deputy commanding officer, Col. Poteli Kivuna and Kanungu RDC Kamara Bayeya also denied Musinguzi was arrested. “I have just heard it on radios. I have no other information,” Poteli said.Bayeya just laughed when The New Vision rang him. “Arresting Musinguzi over what? We are trying to ascertain the source of that information on radios,” he said.Radios in the west ran a series of story in the Easter late night news bulletins that Musinguzi had been arrested on allegations that he was trying to mobilise youth for subversive activities.