I was a businessman and personal driver. I have a diploma in business administration from nkumba university.
I am the father of three children formerly married Melody Kyokunda with whom I lived for 7years before our relationship ended. I have two brothers and two sisters. My mother is deceased and my father leaves in Entebbe, Uganda
Kyokunda and I have two girls together, Nezza Letitia Ariela (3 and eleven months) and Amara Ariana Mirembe (2 years) from my past relationship I have a son, Daniel Tumusiime Magezi (8yrs)
Kyokunda is a daughter to a prominent government official, Mr John Bosco Tumwine who is currently part of the top organizing team for the National Resistance movement (NRM) which is led by Gen Yoweri Kaguta Musevein the President of Uganda.
By virtue of his position in the government, Tumwine has always been keen on his seeing children and those that marry his daughters following his political footprint. If anyone was ever found supporting another party, a cold war would ensue.
I along with others had to adhere with the directive for the love of our families.
Things were good and the family happy until 2019 when I personally decided to start supporting People Power which later morphed into National Unity Platform [NUP], a new political party.
In a surprise turn of events that took the whole country and leadership with just months to the Presidential elections, in July 2020, after working as a pressure group from 2018, a new party was launched by Robert Kyagulany whom we always have known as Bobi Wine as the president. By the time all this become a dream come true for some of us, we had been there.
Together with about ten others, Mr. Moses Kibuuka, Isma Ssemakula, Shsfiq Kagimu, Dorothy Nalumansi, Ms Shiphra Rukundo, Julie Nakayiza, Joyce Namuyimba, Peter Ssegawa, Geofrey Mutalya, and Swabra Najjemba, we started to move across the country planting posters of Bobi Wine. We started from Kigezi region in the districts of Kabale, Rukungiri, Mbarara and Kisoro. We then went to the east, in Mbale, Busia, Soroti, and Kumi.
Thereafter went into central districts of Masaka, Luweero, Masinde and Hoima but when we reached Mubende, the country went into a second lockdown of COVID 19, so we couldn’t proceed to the northern region as planned.
The new party appealed mainly to the youth and gave hope to people who had given up on the economics, politics and social life in the country. I took a strategic position of being a coordinator and we at that started moving around the country telling them about what the strategy for the party would.
We had never witnessed for our entire life any new leader in the country. Clearly, Bobi Wine, at the time of his entrance spoke the language that we understand and spoke hope and told us the things that we had been seeing but had never taken keen interest in them.
Our eyes were open to the realities of dictatorship, squandering of public fund and the taxes that we had been paying from our hardships was being used to enrich those that were in positions of power.
Many things in the governance system weren’t just adding up in that the cost of living has always been high, high taxes for our business, expensive schools, improper of poor medical services, so I wanted to be part of the group that can bring about change for a better Uganda.
I had concealed my political affiliation and despite my wife continuous cautions vis-a-vis my decision, I was determined to stand for something I so vehemently believed in but my luck was too good to last and soon my father in law learnt of the idea and he invited me to his home in Luweero District.
During our meeting on July 15, 2020, during the time when the country had been placed under lockdown as a way to avert the covid19, my decision to support the opposition party was at center stage.
I tried to tell him my side of the story but he was adamant and reminded me of his family values and I also told him that I respect them but this is about what is right for Uganda. Since he had provided transport means to his home, the fact that the discussion had ended in disagreement, he didn’t provide transport back home.
At this point I realized the effect our party on the government because the government was panicking of our leader Robert Kyagulanyi and the party.
When I showed her the card that evening when I returned home, she got so furious and asked me to choose between NUP and family. Being a foot mobiliser at NUP affected my marriage, there was no more happiness as husband and wife.
On November 3, 2020, during the nomination in Kyambogo when the security ran rampage on Bobi Wine, I was part of the team that had escorted and when he was arrested and taken to his home in Magere, I got many calls.
Later in the evening I called my neighbor Mr. Tamusuza Charles and he told me he had been calling to inquire what was happening because my wife had packed almost everything from our home in Entebbe and living with our children.
I tried reaching my wife but didn’t pick my calls, and that evening when I went back home, my neighbors advised that I should not stay at home because it was unsafe, I spent most of that time in a guest house until I joined the team on the campaign trail for Bobi Wine.
We started with the North in lira, and Gulu before we came to Teso. We held campaigns in Katakwi, Soroti and in Kumi District. We were supposed to begin the Busoga region and when we reached Luuka District which was our first district, Bobi wine was arrested and taken to jinja at Nalufenya prisons for more than two days.
Since the campaigns had posed with protests erupting on the streets across the country, I decided to go back home to check on what I had left and indeed, like my neighbors had earlier told me, I barely found anything in the house.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiVyqPwlsWBAxUlQEEAHV-9DYAQFnoECB8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monitor.co.ug%2Fuganda%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Fbobi-wine-arrest-death-toll-climbs-to-29-3204554&usg=AOvVaw1_2nC
I did not find much except some shoes and some clothes of mine. I went to my father in law’s place looking for her but she wasn’t there. At this time her phones had gone off so I decided to talk to my father in law but he said that I was going to get more trouble and that was just the beginning.
A month later, I got a call from an unknown number and on picking, the voice on the other side was for my wife. She said I even couldn’t ever see my children again. I almost ran mad and hurried to police to tell my whole story and also help to track the location of the original call. After learning of who my father in law was, the police said that nothing much would be done.
Later in the evening I was ambushed by some men and taken to some incomplete/vacant house in a location that was not familiar to me. I was beaten and asked why I support the NUP for sure I didn’t replay them for they were too angry, I was released after more than two weeks and they advised that if I continue supporting NUP, they would kill me.
All this happening I got told that my wife was having an affair with Kenyesigye Kenneth. It was from Winnie a close friend to my wife and our family friend too, she said that the man was an army officer and that if I wanted my life, I should let them be. My father in law and this man were friends which made it clear that my wife had indeed moved on.
In April 2022, I was again ambushed by army men, dragged me out of the house in the middle of the night and driven off in a Toyota Hiace van now commonly referred to as drone without number plate, one man seated in front pulled out his gun placed it on the dashboard and asked me to choose life and get back my family or continue supporting NUP and get killed.
He also said I choose wisely and if its life, I should say nothing to the police of anything going on or what would come, I wouldn’t like it, having driven for more than four hours and I was dropped off in Mabira forest along jinja highway eighty five kilometers from Entebbe.
This was the time when there was rampant abduction of NUP supporters and many media house reported the incidents of people who were taken from their houses, detained in unknown places for weeks and dumped helplessly in various parts of the country without any charges.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjK6r7tlMWBAxWuSUEAHW23AYIQFnoECBYQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monitor.co.ug%2Fuganda%2Fnews%2Fnational%2F85-nup-party-supporters-released-3361904&usg=AOvVaw3kGu0B8Zu1N0Z.
It was after this incident when I was released after 17 days that I decided to an off to my aunties place and she advised that I should stay at her place for a while.
One day of May 2022, army men forced their way into my aunties house, I managed to escape through the back door since I was afraid of what would happen if they got hold of me. Got a guest house and called my auntie to find out what had happened, she said that they were looking for me that I was seen wearing a NUP cape (red beret) and T-shirt.
Since then, I have been running from place to place hiding from the public or anyone who could lead the government to my location. I have managed to know about the well-being of my children through Winnie.
Auntie introduced me to an agent who could help me run for my life, I sold my house to raise money to pay the travel agent to get me a visa.
