KAMPALA- In what is turning out to be a sensational drammatic episode in the ongoing cold war between Uganda and Rwanda, a critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame has backed the release of a university don earlier arrested in Uganda for espionage.
Dr Lawrence Muganga, the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University in Uganda, was dragged out of his office on Friday morning by plain clothed security men believed to be from Uganda’s Chieftancy of Military Intelligence on accusations of spying for Rwanda and illegal stay in the country.
The army spokesperson Brig Flavia Byekwaso released a tweet to the media in which she revealed that the don was arrested on charges of espionage and illegal stay in the country.
But as events unfolded, online media outlets revealed the don were actually a Ugandan showing how he held a Canadian passport and a Ugandan National Identity Card.
It turned out Dr Muganga was a Ugandan-born Ugandan but who had closely worked with President Kagame after having studied in Uganda for his bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
In a twist of events following a few hours in detention, the don was released on the orders of President Yoweri Museveni leaving the country and the Ugandan media stunned.
With much of Ugandan social media awash with posts labling the don a Rwandan agent, the Rwandan side went silent and conspiciously did not defend him.
But as celebrations by close friends and relatives went into gear, David Himbara, a Rwandan professor and former advisor to Rwandan President Paul Kagame but now his most viscious critic based in Canada, dropped a bombshell early this morning saying the Ugandan media and security might have blunddered on the don.
“The Ugandan media has been reporting that Lawrence Muganga was arrested in connection with spying for the Rwandan regime. This is most likely a colossal blunder. Were Lawrence Muganga on Kagame’s payroll, I would most likely be a deadman,” writes Himbara from his blog on medium.com.
“Lawrence Muganga saved me from the Rwandan regime in Canada on a mission to silence me,” he emphasized.
Below is Himbara’s heavily edited revelation for legal reasons!
“My relationship with Lawrence Muganga began in the early 2000s when I worked for the government of Rwanda. Then a young man, Lawrence Muganga approached me and demanded that I mentor him. Not only did I agree to do so, I was soon his chairman. Muganga worked for the World Bank-funded Human and Institutional Development Agency (HIDA), and I was its chairman. But after I realized that General Paul Kagame and his regime were rotten to the core, I fled to South Africa.
Fast forward to 2019. I received a call from Lawrence Muganga who gave me shocking news. He told me that the Rwandan Defence Attaché to Canada and the US had assembled a team including him with a mission of shutting me down for my relentless criticism of the Rwandan regime. Lawrence Muganga advised me that I had better build my stronger defence system because the Kigali regime was determined to silence me by any means necessary. I asked Lawrance Muganga one question: if he was serious about preventing harm coming my way from Kagame’s thugs, was he willing to report the threat to my life to police authorities? Lawrence Muganga went straight to police authorities and reported the threat to my life. Similarly, I reported the matter to police authorities
Fast forward to September 2, 2021. The Ugandan media reported that Lawrence Muganga was arrested by security forces in connection with espionage for the Rwandan regime. Eye witness reports indicated that heavily armed gunmen raided the university where Lawrence Muganga works, grabbed him and threw him into detention. This is most likely a colossal blunder. Were Lawrence Muganga on Rwanda’s payroll, I would most likely be a deadman. Stay tuned.”
This revelation will not only leave everyone shocked but also unanswered questions:
We pose them:
- Did the don confess secrets to CMI authorities that warranted his immediate release?
- Is the don a double agent?
- Why did Kigali go silent about his violent arrest?
- Why did President Museveni order his immediate release?
- Who gave him Counter Terrorism Police protection and why?