NUP’s Olivia Lutaaya and 15 Others Pleads Guilty to Ammunition Charges Amid Allegations of State Influence

Olivia Lutaaya, a member of the National Unity Platform (NUP), has pleaded guilty to charges of possession of ammunition after a prolonged trial. Lutaaya entered her guilty plea on Monday at the military court where she and other NUP supporters have been facing charges related to possession of explosive devices.

Lutaaya now joins several other NUP supporters, including Paul Muwanguzi, Siraj Obalai, and Joseph Muganza, who have already pleaded guilty in the same case.

NUP leaders allege that Lutaaya’s decision to plead guilty was influenced by the state. The party claims that Hon. Balaam Barugahara, the State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, convinced her to accept the plea.

NUP Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya revealed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that they had learned of a visit made by Balaam to Lutaaya and other detained NUP members just days before their pleas. Rubongoya accused Balaam of persuading the prisoners to plead guilty in exchange for the possibility of a pardon.

These developments come on the heels of allegations by NUP President Bobi Wine, who claimed in September that the regime had offered political prisoners money and houses in exchange for their guilty pleas and to implicate him in crimes.

“The regime—whenever they reached out to them in prison—was promising them money and houses if they could yield to what they were requesting them to do—first to plead guilty and then implicate us, especially myself, in crimes that even they didn’t commit,” Bobi Wine said.

His remarks followed the guilty pleas of three NUP prisoners facing charges of treachery and possession of ammunition.

Bobi Wine expressed sympathy for the prisoners who pleaded guilty, acknowledging that their resistance may have been pushed to its limits after years of imprisonment.

“We sympathize with these political prisoners. We understand their plight and that everyone has a limit to their resistance. Some of these comrades may have reached their breaking point after three or four years in prison,” Bobi Wine said.

A total of 32 NUP supporters were charged with possession of ammunition, with prosecutors alleging that the accused were found in possession of 13 pieces of explosive devices between November 2020 and May 2021.

The group has been battling these charges for over three years, and under Section 31 of the Firearms Act, unlawful possession of ammunition carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.