The struggle to end Gen Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s regime remains a difficult one. Government critics have endured a lot of trouble in their years of the struggle.
One such critic who even calls herself ‘a child of the struggle’ is Kampala Capital City Deputy Lord Mayor, Makerere University councillor and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader Doreen Nyanjura.
Nyanjura has narrated shocking events that happened in 2012 following her arrest over a book. Co-authored with Ibrahim Kisubi Bagaya, the book was titled Is it the Fundamental Change?
Nyanjura said that Bagaya had suggested that they put on overalls as they awaited their turn as they were certain that security operatives would soon pounce on them.
The deputy lord mayor says that the famous (or rather notorious) blue torture van was introduced around that time.
Apparently they used to rape women activists in the van, added Nyanjura. And this explains why she had to put on a number of clothes to make it difficult for the rapists to get to the subject of their bad manners.
“Below the overall, I put on shorts (two of them), a bicker and then a jean!” she revealed.
She further narrated how she had been smuggled out of the Kampala Central Police Station to appear at the Law Development Centre (LDC) Court, becoming one of the first Museveni critics to be arraigned in this temple of justice.
While Nyanjura had thought that the security operatives who smuggled her out of CPS where other activists, including Dr Besigye were being held, were probably taking her to her Complex Hall room, she was driven to court.
So shocking was the moment that Nyanjura was told this was her last day on earth: that she would be killed.
“When detained we were taken to CPS, later without the knowledge of the rest, I was smuggled from CPS through a back door; that was so scary, thought the goons were going to kill me!
From CPS they drove me through Wandegeya and then took the direction of Makerere University, thought I was being taken to my room at Complex hall.
“We reached the main gate and the journey continued!! I asked where I was being taken, one police man said that was my last day on earth!” she narrated.
“Just intimidation, it wasn’t my last day on earth, I was instead arraigned in Court, LDC court; I was probably the first activist to be taken there! Initially it was a court for students at LDC. I was arraigned without my lawyers, no one knew where I was save my tormentors! All this long, Dr Kizza Besigye, Ingrid Turinawe, counsel Rwakafuzi were at CPS in the DPC’s office unknown to them, I was no longer in detention at CPS but in court! I was charged using a charge sheet of 2010 when I was detained at Wandegeya police station!”
A concerned Ugandan attending the court session at LDC would give Nyanjura a phone to inform her family and friends of her situation but she realized she only knew her father’s phone number off head, and declined to make that call.
“I was remanded for three weeks, just two weeks to my final Exams at Makerere University! One of the guys present in court and after witnessing how I was summarily remanded all alone in court, offered his phone for me to make calls, stupid me, the only number I had off head was my father’s! I didn’t call Dad, I decided to face the situation head on,” she added.
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