Why key opposition figures fled Uganda

What the report says

At least five senior Ugandan opposition figures have recently left the country for exile, according to The Observer, amid what they describe as threats to their safety. The report says the departures have come after the January presidential election and against a backdrop of a broader crackdown on critics of President Yoweri Museveni’s government.

The article identifies National Unity Platform leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, as one of the first to leave, traveling to the United States in late January after Museveni was declared the election winner. It also says Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda of the People’s Front for Freedom left on June 17 after a threat from Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Other figures named as having gone abroad include lawyer Eron Kiiza, former opposition leader in Parliament Winnie Kiiza, and NUP deputy president Lina Zedriga Waru.

The Observer reports that some opposition figures have also faced detention or prosecution. Those mentioned include Dr. Kizza Besigye, Erias Lukwago and Muhammad Muwanga-Kivumbi, with charges ranging from treason to terrorism-related offenses. The article says the developments have fueled concern that opposition politics in Uganda has become increasingly risky.

Several of the people cited in the piece said they left because of fear for their safety, while NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya called the situation a troubling return to the kind of exile politics associated with earlier periods of Ugandan history. The report does not indicate any response from Museveni or other government officials.