Prisons authorities have transferred DP leader Norbert Mao, and six others, to Nakasongola government prisons, following threats by the DP youth wingers to storm Luzira prisons to visit their leader by force.
The youth wingers have been stopped from visiting Mao who on Monday refused to apply for bail, preferring instead to be jailed. Mao is also jailed together with his spokesman, Kenneth Kakande, a former parliamentary candidate for Nakawa Division in Kampala.
Prisons spokesman, Frank Baine, told Uganda Radio Network that a discussion was held last night with Mao and his family and DP leadership informed, to have him transferred to Nakasongola for his own safety. But a source at Luzira said that Mao was forcefully transferred after he resisted the suggestion by the authorities.
Mao’s family has also refuted reports that they were informed about his rushed transfer to Nakasongola.
A brother to the former presidential candidate, Dusman Okee Junior, confirmed that he was with their father, Dusman Okee Senior, and had only heard about the news from people saying they read it on social networking site, face book. Okee said that his other brothers and sisters were also not aware of the new development.
He said Mao’s wife was in Nairobi where she has gone to sit for her examination papers.
Baine said that the prisons authorities could not take chances fearing that incase the protestors stormed the gates of the luzira prisons and shooting ensued to disperse the crowd from there; it would be hard to control the prisoners within the prisons walls from getting excited. He said that in cases like this, one cannot take chances because Luzira holds various categories of prisoners including hardcore criminals as well as terrorist suspects.
Baine said that Mao was also informed that incase of a forceful visit by his youth wingers, his own life could be endangered.
Baine said that in Nakasongola, Mao can only be visited his closest relatives, very limited leaders of his party and his lawyer.
Our attempts to get in touch this morning with Mathias Nsubuga, the DP secretary general, was not successful as he was not answering his calls.
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