Mao Rejects Release of Political Detainees as Precondition for National Dialogue

What the report says

Uganda’s Justice Minister Norbert Mao has rejected opposition demands that political detainees be freed, and that Ugandans in exile return, before a proposed national dialogue can begin. According to Nile Post, Mao said those concerns should be handled at the negotiating table rather than treated as conditions for opening talks. He warned that tying dialogue to the immediate release of people facing court cases could delay or derail efforts to bring government and opposition figures together.

The remarks came at the close of a two-day retreat for political party leaders in Jinja City, organised by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy. Opposition leaders, including JEEMA president Asuman Basalirwa and Democratic Front chairman Samuel Walter Lubega Mukaaku, argued that detainees and exiles are important stakeholders whose exclusion could weaken the credibility of the process. They said confidence-building steps should come before substantive negotiations.

Mao said the concerns were legitimate, but insisted that legal cases should remain with the courts and the Director of Public Prosecutions. He suggested that the issue be placed on the dialogue agenda instead of being used to block talks.

The retreat also advanced discussion of a proposed consociational democracy framework, a power-sharing model aimed at broadening political inclusion. Nile Post reported that participants adopted a 120-page proposal by Professor Ogenga Otunnu and forwarded it to the National Consultative Forum for further review. Mao said the reforms would likely require legal and constitutional changes, including debate over parliamentary representation and the independence of the Electoral Commission.