Beyond politics and prison life, Mugumya recounted how his greatest fear while on remand was dying without leaving behind a child, saying his prayer was answered while he was still incarcerated.
Ugandan Bus Driver Reportedly Killed in Houthi Missile Attack in Saudi Arabia
Two bodyguards of National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, who were recently granted bail after spending nearly two years on remand, have described prison as a harsh place but one necessary for keeping dangerous criminals away from society.
Grace Wakabi, alias Smart wa Bobi, and Gaddafi Mugumya made the remarks while addressing journalists at the NUP headquarters in Makerere-Kavule on Friday, a day after Masaka High Court judge Victoria Nakintu Katamba granted them bail.
The two are facing charges of aggravated robbery, malicious damage to property and assault. The court granted each sh5m cash bail, while their sureties were ordered to execute non-cash bonds of Sh50m each.
Their co-accused, Achileo Kivumbi and Edward Ssebuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe, were also granted bail but remained in detention because of fresh charges before Kawempe Court.
Works Ministry Announces Alternative Route After River Mucha Bridge Collapse
Mugumya, who goes by the nickname “General”, said their incarceration resulted from what he described as fabricated charges arising from their demand for political change.
However, he said his experience in Masaka Prison had convinced him that prisons serve an important purpose in protecting the public from genuine criminals, despite the suffering inmates endure.
He said an NUP government would not abolish prisons but would instead reform the justice system to ensure that only people who commit crimes are incarcerated, rather than innocent citizens.
Mugumya also expressed concern about young people turning to crime as a means of survival, saying his interactions with inmates had exposed him to the consequences of criminal behaviour.
He cited the case of a fellow inmate, Lawrence, who used to shave the prisoners’ hair and was serving a sentence for robbery.
“I advised him to stop robbery, and he would say he had reformed, but he was lying. Two months after his release, he was shot dead after cutting someone to steal a motorcycle,” Mugumya said.
He argued that Uganda needed regular changes in political leadership, saying no government, including one led by NUP, should remain in power for more than 10 years without a change of leadership.
Mugumya accused the current regime of abandoning the principles it fought for when it came to power, drawing parallels with the political struggles that preceded the 1981–1986 bush war.
Mugumya recounts fatherhood experience
Beyond politics and prison life, Mugumya recounted how his greatest fear while on remand was dying without leaving behind a child, saying his prayer was answered while he was still incarcerated.
He said he was initially surprised when he was informed that a woman had come to visit him because he did not know her.
“When I went to see her, she told me her sister had my son. I dismissed her and went back inside. After a few days, she returned with her sister and my son, and the child was my photocopy,” he said.
Wakabi recounts arrest
Wakabi, meanwhile, recounted how they were arrested at Lugazi roundabout while travelling with Kivumbi to Namutumba to visit Kivumbi’s father, who had reportedly been bedridden for months.
He said they were transferred at night from Lugazi to Kampala Central Police Station, where they were extensively interrogated, particularly about their earnings from NUP and Kyagulanyi’s political plans at the time.
Wakabi said they were later transferred to Masaka Central Police Station, where they were charged with malicious damage to property and assault.
He said his decision to join the opposition and challenge the government was driven by anger over what he viewed as repeated unfulfilled government promises, which he had witnessed before moving to the city in 2017.
The two former remand prisoners urged Ugandans who support political change to continue visiting inmates, particularly those detained over political issues, to encourage and support them.
They said they had also made efforts while in prison to encourage fellow inmates who had spent many years behind bars.