The government of Uganda has denied Claims by the opposition that they have renowned blogger Fred Kajubi Lumbuye in their custody. Lumbuye was reported to have been arrested three weeks ago in Turkey and was awaiting deportation. It would later be claimed that the blogger was actually secretly flown in and is in detention in one of the numerous detention centres and safe houses in country.
A week ago, The Observer news paper reported that a source imitated to them that blogger Fred Lumbuye was deported and taken by SFC to Gulu Air Force Base where he is being held until he produces names of 11 people who were feeding him with state deep information.
More reports from different news sites alleged that the blogger is going through a hard time in Gulu as security officers are grill him to spit his inner most secrets and sources.
While appearing on NTV Uganda days later, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Oryem Okello assured viewers that Lumbuye was alive and safe urging them to concentrate on other things other than worrying about him.
” Lumbuye is alive, people not be worried about him. The relevant authorities will at the right time bring him to courts of law. People should be busy looking for survival not asking about Lumbuye,” He stated.
During a house sitting on Thursday, Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Nkuyingi Mawada tasked the minister to clarify on the matter since Minister Jeje Odong told them a different story.
According to Jeje, Ugandan government is still in discussions with Turkey to see if Lumbuye can get deported but judging from Oryem’s statements, he is already in the country.
Nkuyingi therefore tasked Oryem to give a clarification than keep Ugandans speculating.
The minister however said that he was misqouted explaining that he never disclosed to anyone that Lumbuye was deported.
“I said he was supposed to be deported, they were specific works- presupposed. As a lawyer himself ( Nkuyingi ) he’s very careful with his words, am very careful with my words. So for him (Nkuyingi to say that I said that he was deported, I think it was a misquotation of what I have said. I never said that he will be produced in the courts of law in Uganda. I said that at the appropriate time he will be produced in courts by the relevant officers. That is what I said,” Oryem said.
