According to reports, some victims were hospitalized as a result of the excessive use of force, while others suffered injuries and broken limbs.
Following violent altercations between security forces and National Unity Platform (NUP) leadership and supporters during a campaign event for their candidate, Elias Nalukoola, political tensions in Kawempe North have increased.
Police, the Special Forces Command (SFC), and the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JAT) used force to scatter NUP protesters during the altercation. They reportedly beat and arrested a number of supporters in addition to using tear gas.
As NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) led a convoy towards the campaign venue, the altercations broke out. When security personnel broke up the procession, there was mayhem, injuries, and arrests.
According to reports, some victims were hospitalized as a result of the excessive use of force, while others suffered injuries and broken limbs.
Kyagulanyi responded to the crackdown on X (formerly Twitter), denouncing what he described as “state-sponsored brutality” and charging the government with purposefully stifling opposition campaigns.
“These criminals came in with orders to block us, even though the NRM candidate and those who support them have been holding processions and rallies without any incidents,” Bobi Wine stated.
“Numerous comrades with broken legs, gunshot wounds, and other injuries are in hospitals.”
Arrests
The violence that occurred today comes after NUP flagbearer Elias Nalukoola was arrested not long after he was nominated.
Following earlier reports that his nomination documents had been stolen and his agent kidnapped, he was briefly arrested on unspecified charges at Kawempe Police Station.
NUP has pointed to a persistent pattern of harassment and accused the government of purposefully targeting its candidates.
Party leaders contend that the NRM flagbearer, Faridah Nambi, and other pro-government candidates have been permitted to campaign freely, despite violent disruptions to their campaigns.
In the meantime, the Kawempe North race has become even more complex due to intra-party disputes. Former MP Muhammad Ssegirinya’s aide Luwemba Lusswa Muhammad decided to run as an independent in defiance of the NUP’s endorsement of Nalukoola.
Faridah Nambi’s endorsement was also denied by Hanifa Karadi Murerwa in the NRM camp, who claimed that an unfair selection process had favored Nambi because of her familial ties to Hajj Moses Kigongo, the NRM’s National Vice Chairman.
Although the Uganda Police Force has not yet released a formal statement on the violence that occurred today, officials have previously justified such measures as being required to “maintain public order.”
