Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye to deliver keynote address from prison at PFP party launch
Ssemujju's announcement was met by celebration from PFP members in attendance, though he did not explain how Besigye would make the address given his current predicament.
Veteran Ugandan opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye will reportedly make the keynote address during the official launch of his party, the People's Front for Freedom (PFP), on Tuesday.
PFP Spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju made the announcement in Kampala on Monday, noting that Besigye, who has been held at Luzira Prison for 221 days by President Yoweri Museveni's administration, will make the address despite his detention.
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"For the first time, you will witness a prisoner deliver a keynote address from prison. Dr Besigye will speak during our party's official inauguration. Come and listen to him," Ssemujju said, according to The Monitor.
Ssemujju's announcement was met by celebration from PFP members in attendance, though he did not explain how Besigye would make the address given his current predicament.
"I was recently with him in Luzira. He is preparing his keynote address and will use whatever means possible to deliver it," Ssemujju said.
According to the PFP Spokesperson, 1,000 individuals are expected to attend the event in a show of solidarity with the over 5,000 members who endorsed the formation of the People's Front for Freedom. Their backing followed a recent decision by the Katonga faction to part ways with the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and establish an alternative political unit.
Led by former Parliamentary Opposition Leader Wafula Oguttu, the interim leadership of the party is scheduled to present a list of nominated officials for confirmation on the same day. Following approval, these leaders will be officially sworn in and begin their responsibilities.
According to Ssemujju, this will be followed by a series of regional and sub-regional gatherings, during which local leadership at various administrative levels, including district, regional, and sub-regional, will be formally unveiled.
Besigye, a four-time presidential contender, went missing after attending the launch of a book by Narc Kenya leader and former Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua in November 2024.
He was last seen at an apartment complex on Riverside Drive in Nairobi's Westlands area before being ferried to a military jail in Uganda. He was later charged with treason, alongside his aide Hajj Obeid Lutale, an offence that can carry the death penalty in Uganda.
Last week, the duo's case was officially transferred to Uganda's High Court after Nakawa Chief Magistrate Christine Nantege ruled that the court does not have jurisdiction to hear any applications arising from the treason charge, including bail and another motion seeking the judge's withdrawal from the case.
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