Kenya knew about arrest of opposition figure: Uganda govt

 Uganda's veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye gestures as he arrives at the Makindye Martial Court in Kampala, on November 20, 2024. [AFP]

The arrest of a Ugandan opposition figure in Kenya was carried out with Nairobi's knowledge, a Ugandan government spokesperson told AFP Friday.

His comments came two days after a senior Kenyan official said Nairobi had launched an investigation into the affair.

Uganda has faced international condemnation following the abduction from Nairobi of veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who appeared in a Kampala court on Wednesday.

Kenya had insisted that it had nothing to do with the arrest of Besigye, 68, a medical doctor and longtime critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

"Uganda and Kenya authorities were in the know on the arrest and transfer of Dr Besigye to Uganda," government spokesperson Chris Baryomunsi told AFP.

"Kenya is a sovereign country and with a full functioning governance system and it is not possible for an arrest to happen in the country, especially Nairobi, and the suspect is transferred across borders without the knowledge of institutions of Kenya," he said.

He said, "Without [the] involvement of Kenya, it would not have been possible to have Besigye cross into Uganda".

Baryomunsi added that there was "a lot" of intelligence sharing between countries that are never made public "for the good of brotherly and sisterly countries".

Regrettable

His comments follow remarks Wednesday by Kenya's foreign ministry permanent secretary Korir Sing'Oei, who labeled the incident involving Besigye "regrettable" and said an investigation had been launched.

He told local TV: "This is not an act of the Kenyan government. It's not the act of our security officials".

Besigye appeared in a military court on Wednesday, with the prosecution alleging he had had two pistols and had "solicited logistical support in Uganda, Greece, and other countries to compromise the country's national security".

Besigye, a retired army colonel, denied the charges. He insisted he was now a civilian and should not be tried in a military tribunal.

He was remanded to Luzira prison until December 2.

Late Friday, opposition leader Bobi Wine said he had visited Besigye in jail, and that he was in "good spirits".

He condemned the actions of the Ugandan government in a post on X, and urged Kenya to "take corrective measures to prevent a repeat of such incidents in the future".

The Ugandan government has sought to justify the extraction.

On Wednesday, Baryomunsi said: "You can be arrested from anywhere because countries have treaties or instruments that they signed between them that allow for extradition."

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "extremely concerned" about Besigye's situation.

International rights groups have condemned the incident, with Amnesty International warning it was part of a "growing and worrying trend of transnational repression" in Kenya.

Last month, Nairobi admitted to allowing four Turkish refugees to be repatriated, despite evidence they were abducted in the city and forcibly returned without due process.

Uganda has cracked down on the opposition in recent months.

In July, 36 members of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) -- the party Besigye founded two decades ago -- were deported from Kenya and tried in Uganda on terrorism charges.