‘Kenyan Border Security To Blame!’ – ODM Senator Speaks On Besigye’s Abduction
Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda says the abduction of famous Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye in Kenya before his appearance in a Ugandan court on Wednesday raises concerns about Kenya’s border security.
Besigye, a long-time opponent of President Yoweri Museveni, was in Kenya on Sunday to attend the book launch of Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua.
However, he was apprehended at his apartment in Nairobi’s Riverside district on Saturday, according to court documents.
He was returned home and imprisoned in military detention before being charged with scheming to damage national security, unlawful possession of firearms, and negotiating to purchase arms from outside.
On Thursday, Ojienda described Besigye’s case as concerning, backing up government officials’ accusations that the Ugandan opposition figure was unknown in Kenya.
“Besigye came to Kenya undercover; he came to Kenya as a private citizen and instead of going to a hotel, he went into an apartment from where he was abducted,” the senator told Citizen TV’s Day Break program on Thursday.
Senator Tom Ojienda: Besigye came to Kenya as a private citizen and instead of going to a hotel, he went into an apartment but there was no information at what point he entered the country… as a region, we need to know how we should treat individuals who have committed crimes in… pic.twitter.com/jbay7WnzQi
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) November 21, 2024
“There was no information on the government’s part about at what point he entered the country. He was supposed to attend a book fair organised by Martha Karua but was not in attendance.”
Ojienda, who serves on the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence, and Foreign Relations, noted that “the worrying trend is access; whether Kenya’s border points are porous and you can’t notice certain personalities come in.”
“He was taken out of Kenya illegally, but he is facing a legal process in Uganda stemming from things he did before coming here… as a region, we need to know how we should treat individuals who have committed crimes in their country and run to another country to hide”
While Kenyan officials have denied any participation in his kidnapping and deportation, the case has aroused outrage over a seemingly growing trend of foreign nationals, including asylum seekers, being apprehended and handed over to their home nations’ authorities.
Ojienda stated that Kenyan security authorities should not be totally accountable for Besigye’s abduction, claiming that the Ugandan security operatives who abducted him might have just entered Kenya.
This is owing to the East African Community (EAC) Common Market laws, which ensure that EAC citizens can freely migrate around the region.
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“With the East African passport, movement within these countries is open without discrimination. That makes it hard to stop a Kenyan, Ugandan or Tanzanian from moving to the next country,” said Ojienda.
“That explains the possibility that these Ugandan mercenaries who came in to abduct Besigye just came into their country, took him and drove away.
He added: “It is an East Africa issue, not entirely about Kenya. You cannot blame the apparatus here for how movement across East Africa takes place.”
Besigye rejected the charges filed against him on Wednesday and was ordered held in detention until December 2.
‘Kenyan Border Security To Blame!’ – ODM Senator Speaks On Besigye’s Abduction
