People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) Secretary General Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda has dismissed reports that General Salim Saleh is involved in negotiations concerning jailed opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye. Ssemujju said the party had not received any formal or informal communication proposing talks about Besigye’s situation, directly challenging media reports suggesting that efforts were underway to resolve the matter through negotiations.
Speaking about the claims, Ssemujju emphasised that he was speaking in his capacity as the party’s Secretary General and had no knowledge of any such approach. “I am the Secretary General of PFF. Nobody has written to PFF as an institution proposing talk about doctor Kizza Besigye’s situation or any other matter, and nobody has even unofficially contacted the party,” he said.
Ssemujju also questioned the media coverage surrounding the alleged negotiations, observing that he had mainly encountered the reports in government-owned publications, including New Vision and Bukedde. He questioned why the story was appearing repeatedly in those outlets while he had not seen similar reporting elsewhere, suggesting that the claims required closer scrutiny.
The PFF leader offered his own explanation for why the reports might have emerged, linking them to the ongoing treason case against Besigye. He argued that questions surrounding the prosecution’s evidence could have created pressure to find another way of handling the case. However, these remarks represented Ssemujju’s interpretation of the situation rather than an established explanation for the reported negotiations.
Ssemujju particularly questioned the prosecution’s account of Besigye’s arrest in Nairobi, referring to testimony by a foreign prosecution witness that he believes undermined important aspects of the case. He challenged claims concerning the alleged recovery of two pistols and eight rounds of ammunition during the arrest, arguing that the witness’s account raised questions about the circumstances in which the evidence was obtained.
He also broadened his criticism to the intelligence and security establishment, naming senior officers and alleging that intelligence had been manipulated. Ssemujju linked these allegations to the large sums allocated to military and classified expenditure, claiming that financial interests could encourage the production of misleading intelligence. These were serious allegations made by the opposition politician and were not independently established by the information provided.
Ssemujju further argued that the reports of negotiations could be an attempt to find a way forward amid difficulties in the prosecution’s case. He alleged that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s hostility towards Besigye had influenced the handling of the matter. The government’s position on these specific allegations was not included in the report, and the claims should therefore be understood as Ssemujju’s own assertions.
Besigye remains on trial for treason alongside Hajj Obeid Lutale and Captain Denis Oola, while PFF spokesperson Harold Kaija has also dismissed the purported negotiations as false. With Ssemujju insisting that no one has approached the party, questions remain about the origin of the reports concerning General Salim Saleh. For now, the PFF leadership says it has received no proposal for talks, while the legal proceedings against Besigye continue.
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