The recent arrests and deportations from last month occur against a backdrop of anti-government protests by youth and opposition activists in both Kenya and neighboring Uganda. However, Uganda’s capital remained quiet on Monday.
On July 23, Kenyan authorities apprehended 36 members of Uganda’s opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) who had traveled to Kenya for a training course, according to their lawyers.
The group was later deported back to Uganda, where they faced terrorism-related charges, which they have denied.
14 FDC members, including two lawmakers, staged a protest in Kampala on Monday against the handling of their colleagues, as reported by the Daily Monitor and other media sources.
Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango stated that they were arrested for “participating in unlawful assembly activities” and later charged with being “a public nuisance,” as stated by a charge sheet reviewed by Reuters.
The defendants pleaded not guilty. Four were granted bail, while the others were held in custody and are scheduled to return to court on August 7.
An FDC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed these details but was not authorized to speak for the party.
Critics and human rights advocates have long alleged that President Yoweri Museveni’s administration fabricates charges to suppress political opponents. Government officials, however, deny these accusations.
At 79, President Yoweri Museveni has been in power in the East African nation of Uganda, which has a population of 46 million, since 1986.