Besigye’s Arrest: The People’s Unshakable Love, Resistance

Yes, Besigye was yesterday arrested, detained, driven to his home in Kasangati and he came back to the city and he was arrested again.

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During the fateful day, his supporters were close to him. After the arrest, he was first detained at Kira Road police station. In few minutes people thronged the vicinity chanting Besigye’s name and demanding his release.

The fanatic supporters were teargased but didn’t relent.

When Besigye was driven to his Kasangati home in the early afternoon hours, he returned to campaign again-people swarmed his procession while other stood by the road side cheering him, flashing the V-FDC sign and dancing to the “Toka bala bala, Besigye ameyingiya” song.

When he reached Wandegeya, he was blocked from accessing Makerere University through the main gate.

A scuffle ensued, police fired teargas, rubber bullets but the spirits of the supporters was not shaken. They resisted demanding police to let him proceed.

Police engaged Besigye supporters in Wandegeya for more than four hours, firing teargas and bullets per minute yet crowds were not dispersing. They would run away but come back; run away and comeback.

The boda boda rides forgot to do business but decided to accompany the four times presidential candidate who has been described as the “people’s president.”

At Makerere University where Besigye was due to address a rally in the afternoon hours, students went on a strike demanding Besigye’s release.

“At the Main Gate’s round-about, students lit a huge bon fire upon which all visible posters of Yoweri Museveni were roasted and burnt as anger sacrifices to the gods who cursed Uganda with a thirty-year-old tyranny,” Dr. Stella Nyanzi, a Museveni critic and research fellow at Makerere Institute of Social Research reported.

Murithi Mutiga, a Daily Nation columnist on Sunday argued that Besigye has won moral victory even before votes are cast on Thursday.

“The opposition candidate in Uganda’s election was campaigning in the Makindye neighbourhood of the capital and, when he arrived, people surged forward. They didn’t want to shake his hands. They were giving him money. Tens of them had a donation to make to Dr Kizza Besigye,” he noted

Adding; “An old lady, clad in a long blue lesso, thrust a crumpled note in his hands. Several young men followed and gave the leader some money. Others brought gifts: paw paws, pineapples and, of course, this being Uganda, bananas.”

But to ordinary Ugandans, this is a daily story.

Besigye has received donations from the poor Ugandan since presidential campaigns started. The donations signs love.

In the recent days, Besigye rallies have attracted huge crowds.

Supporters have stood by Besigye in both tough and happy times. Their love is never ending.

This is the story I can tell from yesterday’s standoff between Besigye, his supporters and the police.

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