Besigye not world’s most arrested person

The Guinness World Records has dismissed reports circulating online and on social media claiming the organisation had recognised Kizza Besigye as the “world’s most arrested man”.

The story, which alleged that the Ugandan opposition leader had been listed in the latest edition of Guinness Book of Records, had been published on low-key blogs but was shared widely after a link was shared on Twitter by a popular journalist.

A local television station in Kenya aired the story in its evening bulletin and posted the story on YouTube, although the video has since been pulled down.

Jessica Spillane, a spokesperson for the Guinness World Records, told the BBC the reports were not true.

She said the person with the record for most arrests is Tommy Johns of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

By 1988 he had been arrested almost 3,000 times for being drunk and disorderly in a public place.

But for the adventurous, don’t be tempted to break the record.

Ms Spilllane said the category was “not actively open for applications and we do not encourage people to strive to break the record”.