Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, the secretary general of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), is reportedly weighing whether to return to Uganda or remain abroad until the political situation calms down, impeccable sources have told Bbeg Media.
Ssemujju is currently in Saudi Arabia, where he travelled to perform Umrah, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
He left Uganda on June 13, two days before former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago was seized from his home by security personnel and later charged with misprision of treason.
Umrah typically takes about five days to complete, meaning Ssemujju would ordinarily have been expected back by around June 20. However, sources close to him said he had decided to extend his stay as he considers his next course of action.
“Everyone is afraid. When you see your colleagues and fellow activists being arrested now and then, you have to fear for your life,” said a senior politician who works closely with Ssemujju.
The politician told Bbeg Media that several other activists were also considering leaving the country for exile because of concerns about their safety.
In videos posted from Saudi Arabia, Ssemujju, the former Kira Municipality MP, has continued to speak out against the government, urging Ugandans to fight “tooth and nail” to prevent what he describes as the entrenchment of dictatorship.
In the same videos, he has also insisted that he is not afraid to be arrested or tortured.
His reported reluctance to return comes at a particularly tense moment for political freedoms in Uganda.
On June 29, Timothy Kalyegira, Ssemujju’s former colleague at the Daily Monitor, was arraigned in court and charged with broadcasting without a valid licence after he went missing three days earlier.
Over the weekend, media outlets operated by Nation Media Group Uganda were shut down following orders issued by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Human rights activists Sarah Bireete and Eunice Musiime were also briefly detained.
