NUP’s Nyanzi Condemns State’s ‘Malicious’ Witness Claim, Denies Testifying Against Comrades
KAMPALA – Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, the head of international relations for the National Unity Platform (NUP) and brother to party leader Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), has vehemently denied being a state witness in the ongoing trial of 21 party members accused of unlawful military drills.
The rebuttal follows a move by prosecutors at Kanyanya Magistrates Court, who listed Nyanzi as a key witness in the case stemming from a February 2025 raid on the NUP headquarters. The 21 members were arrested and charged after the alleged discovery of military-style training activities.
In a fiery statement released on Sunday, Nyanzi insisted he has never given any testimony to authorities regarding the matter, describing the prosecution’s listing as a calculated effort to fracture the opposition ahead of the 2026 general elections.
“My attention has been drawn to the malicious claims by the state prosecutors that I am one of their witnesses in the ongoing politically motivated harassment and persecution of our comrades,” Nyanzi said. “I would like to state from the onset I have never recorded any statement before any authority regarding this matter.”
Nyanzi, who was himself abducted and held incommunicado during the security crackdown in February 2025 but later released without charge, claimed he was tortured and dumped on the street on the basis of similar “malicious charges.” He argued that the court’s power to summon witnesses was being abused to “harass, intimidate, and instill fear” in the country, particularly targeting NUP leaders.
“It is very clear that the objective of the state isn’t only to persecute leaders of NUP but also cause disharmony, mistrust, and break cohesion within the organization by maliciously seeking to compel and ensure my attendance as a witness in a matter against my comrades,” the statement read.
Supporters of the party have called on Nyanzi to publicly release his police statement to clear any doubts, but the opposition figure maintains that the entire prosecution narrative is built on falsehoods and will “eventually collapse like all the other lies fabricated against NUP and its leaders.”
The case against the 21 NUP members has been adjourned to May 15, 2026, prolonging what the party calls a “charade of trial.” Nyanzi urged Ugandans to reject the regime’s “sideshows,” and to demand the release of all political prisoners and an end to the persecution of political opponents and their supporters.
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