Bobi Wine Used Us to Fulfil His Political Ambitions- Former Inmates

Two former inmates, Sanya Muhydin and Joseph Muganza, have made serious claims against the National Unity Platform (NUP) and its leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine. They say that Bobi Wine exploited them during their time as supporters of the party.

Both Muhydin and Muganza were recently pardoned by President Museveni after spending four years in prison. They had been convicted of treason and illegal possession of ammunition after being arrested during protests in November 2020.

In an interview on Sanyuka Television, Sanya Muhydin expressed regret for his actions and accused Kyagulanyi of abandoning them after using them for protests. He said, "We wanted to overthrow the government, and I want to ask for forgiveness. I will admit now that we were supporting Kyagulanyi, and he used to give us money to start protests."

Muhydin claimed he was promised large sums of money, including up to five million shillings, but he never received anything. He expressed his despair, saying, "I have lost everything I owned because I got involved in something that didn't concern me."

Joseph Muganza also admitted to being involved in criminal activities, including having guns with the aim of overthrowing the government. He confirmed that they organised many protests but denied receiving any financial support or benefits from the government after their release.

"We didn’t receive any money, and the only place we signed anything was in court when we were released," Muganza explained. He added that they chose not to return to NUP because they felt neglected by the party, which allegedly wanted them to stay in prison until 2027.

The group of 19 NUP supporters was arrested after the November 2020 protests and faced serious charges. Although they initially denied these charges, they later accepted a plea deal that resulted in shorter sentences. Last week, President Museveni granted them a pardon.

Muhydin has rejected claims that they were forced by the government to confess. He stated that he supported Kyagulanyi because he believed in a just cause and insisted there was no pressure from the government to admit guilt.

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