Minister Balaam dismisses claims of taking pardoned NUP supporters to Kyankwanzi

The State Minister for Youth, Balaam Barugahara, has refuted allegations that the recently pardoned National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters were secretly taken to Kyankwanzi shortly after their release from prison.
On Thursday, President Yoweri Museveni pardoned 19 NUP supporters who had pleaded guilty to charges of treachery before the General Court Martial.
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The group was part of a larger cohort of 32 individuals who had faced prolonged legal battles, including charges of illegal possession of weapons.
One of the released individuals, Olivia Lutaya, who visited the NUP offices after her release, claimed there had been plans to abduct them following their pardon.
Her remarks sparked speculation that the group had been taken to Kyankwanzi, a government institute often associated with ideological training programs initiated by the president.
Barugahara, however, dismissed these rumors, questioning the logic.
"How do you abduct someone you have already pardoned?" he asked during an interview. He insisted that all 19 individuals were released to their respective homes.
“They are in their residences. You can go and find them there,” Balaam said when asked about their whereabouts.
The minister further clarified that there were no immediate plans to take the released individuals to Kyankwanzi unless they voluntarily requested to participate in programs there.
“We have not developed any program for them at Kyankwanzi. However, they have the right to apply if they want to be taken there,” he explained.
Despite dismissing the claims, he revealed his belief in the importance of ideological rehabilitation.
He expressed hope that the pardoned individuals could eventually be taken to Kyankwanzi to undergo ideological reorientation and “be put ideologically right.”
The release of the NUP supporters has stirred mixed reactions, with many questioning the conditions of their pardon and the implications for political dissent in Uganda.
However, government has maintained that the pardon was an act of goodwill aimed at fostering national reconciliation.
The situation remains closely watched as opposition groups, human rights activists, and government officials continue to debate the wider implications of the president’s decision.