Where I Come from, Lions Climb Trees: Charles Rwomushana ‘Speaks in Tongues’ after Being Named in Besigye Meetings Plotting to Remove or Kill Museveni

Political analyst Charles Rwomushana’s name has been mentioned in evidence alleging Dr Kizza Besigye meetings reportedly convened to discuss removing President Yoweri Museveni.

And Rwomushana’s responses to the allegation are cryptic.

Rwomushana responded with a series of cryptic statements on Tuesday night while appearing on an NBS Television talk show, after his name surfaced in the prosecution’s allegations surrounding meetings at the centre of the treason case against opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye.

Instead of directly responding to the allegations, Rwomushana spoke in metaphors that immediately attracted public attention.

“I come from Rwenshama,” he said.

He then added: “Where I come from, lions climb trees.”

In another remark, he said: “Before reaching my village, there is a place called Kaatabushera, a steep area.”

Rwenshama is a fishing community in Bwambara Sub-county, Rukungiri District, near the shores of Lake Edward and the boundary of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The area is renowned for the park’s famous tree-climbing lions, a rare behaviour that has made the Ishasha sector one of Uganda’s best-known wildlife attractions.

Rwomushana, who hails from the area, did not explain whether his reference to the tree-climbing lions was intended as a metaphor or simply a description of his home.

Rwomushana did not explain the broader meaning of his statements and did not directly address the allegations that have linked him to the alleged meetings.

His remarks have since fuelled speculation, with viewers offering different interpretations of what he intended to communicate.

Rwomushana, a former state spy, was named in the prosecution’s summary of evidence in the treason case against Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused.

The prosecution alleges that Rwomushana attended meetings in Brussels alongside Salaam Musumba, Erias Lukwago, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda and Lubega Mukaku.

The state further alleges that the meetings were secretly recorded by Andrew Wilson, a security contractor who says he was working as an informant for Ugandan military intelligence.

Prosecutors contend that the discussions formed part of an alleged conspiracy to remove President Yoweri Museveni from power, including discussions about acquiring weapons and other forms of support.

Those allegations are contained in the prosecution’s evidence before court and remain unproven. Rwomushana has not been charged in the case.

Besigye and his co-accused have denied the charges against them and maintain that the prosecution is politically motivated.

Rwomushana’s decision to respond in figurative language rather than directly confronting the allegations has added fresh intrigue to a case that continues to dominate Uganda’s political landscape.

Whether his references to Rwenshama, tree-climbing lions and the steep slopes of Kaatabushera were intended as a coded message, a cultural metaphor or a subtle denial remains open to interpretation.

Meanwhile, the state’s Mzungu witness has reportedly destroyed the audio recordings pinning Besigye to a plot to kill or remove Museveni. (See Details Here and There).