Police in Nairobi are expected to heighten security around the Central Business District on Monday, September 21, after protesters announced plans to march to the President’s Office on Harambee Avenue over the reported abduction and transfer of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The protesters are seeking answers from the Kenyan government over Besigye’s disappearance from Nairobi in November 2024 and his subsequent appearance in Uganda, where he was initially arraigned before a military court.

They are also demanding Besigye’s release and an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his transfer from Kenya to Uganda, including an inquiry into any security officers found to have been involved.

The planned march is expected to culminate at the President’s Office, with the protesters seeking an explanation of how Besigye was moved from Kenyan soil and calling for accountability over the circumstances surrounding the operation.

📌 What You Need to Know

The planned protest comes as fresh allegations about the circumstances surrounding Besigye’s arrest emerge during his treason trial in Kampala.

A key prosecution witness has alleged that Kenyan police planted two pistols and fake currency inside a Nairobi apartment before Besigye and his co-accused arrived at the premises after his abduction was reported in Nairobi on November 16, 2024

Besigye was, before resurfacing in Uganda four days later, where he was initially arraigned before a military court. His case was later transferred to a civilian court.

The witness told the High Court in Kampala that the apartment in Riverside had been prepared as part of an intelligence-led operation. Defence lawyers have questioned the handling of the alleged weapons and the whereabouts of the items.

Additionally, the defence has also raised questions over whether forensic examination of the firearms could have established whose fingerprints were found on them. The allegations remain part of testimony before the court and have not been established as findings.

Besigye is jointly charged with his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale and Uganda People’s Defence Force officer Captain Denis Oola over allegations that they participated in a plot to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni’s government.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke