Government critic and blogger Fred Lumbuye’s whereabouts are still unknown, despite assurance by the government that he would be deported back to Uganda.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem said journalists on Friday that Lumbuye would be deported back into the country in the wee hours of Friday night. This however failed to materialize as Lumbuye was not among the passengers on the flight that landed from Turkey.
Internal Affairs/ Immigration spokesperson Jacob Siminyu confirmed in a phone interview that Lumbuye was not among the passengers that had been cleared to enter the country.
Siminyu said, “Ours is to clear every passenger that comes, Lumbuye was not among the passengers and we have not cleared anyone by that name.”
When contacted, Minister Oryem could not confirm the whereabouts of Lumbuye, despite assuring the country that the government had already finished deportation plans earlier on.
Oryem said that as government, they played their part and what remains is now in hands of security circles. “We did our part, we played our part as government and what remains to be done is not about us,” Oryem said without confirming.
CID spokesperson Charles Twine also told NBS that although they had not received Lumbuye yet, files of the crimes he had committed were ready and they are still waiting on his arrival, whenever it would be.
International lawyer Gawaya Tegule said that extradition is due process and it would be very hard to have Lumbuye extradited especially if he states that his life is in danger for political reasons.
“Even if he had overstayed, as long as he says that he might be persecuted or tortured upon his return for political reasons, the international law then stops Turkey from going ahead to deport him.”
Lumbuye uses his social media account to criticize the government, which has put him on a wanted list of security officers in Uganda who accuse him of using social media to promote sectarianism.
It remains to be seen what the fate of Lumbuye is since there are contradicting statements regarding his whereabouts from both government and party officials from the National Unity Platform, with the latter insisting that he will not be deported.
Police on Monday said whereas Lumbuye is not yet in their custody, there are 15 case files awaiting him for using the internet to allegedly cite violence and spreading harmful propaganda.
