By Sekaggya Seka Moses
Kyenjojo/Fort Portal, Uganda – A tense standoff between National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, and security personnel marred campaign events in Tooro sub-region today.
According to police, Kyagulanyi deviated from an agreed-upon route, leading to a one-and-a-half-hour standoff at Kihura trading centre.
He later insisted on proceeding to Fort Portal town, contrary to the agreed route, resulting in another standoff at Harubaho.
The police spokesperson, SP Twesigye Vincent, stated that the candidate had been informed of the agreed route, which was designed to ensure public safety and avoid clashes with other candidates.
Kyagulanyi eventually held a campaign rally at Busiita Playground in Bunyangabu, before attempting to divert to the central business district in Kabarole, prompting security intervention.
The standoff between the candidate and security persisted for several hours, with Kyagulanyi alleging that police and military were blocking roads and diverting his convoy.
In a statement, SP Twesigye Vincent reiterated that authorities will not allow candidates to flout agreed arrangements or portray themselves as victims while campaigning in undesignated areas, such as roads, trading centres, or unauthorized venues.
However, Kyagulanyi took to Facebook, claiming that police and military were blocking roads and diverting his convoy, preventing him from reaching campaign venues.
He alleged that security was holding him and his team at a roadblock, restricting movement and access to the campaign venue in Fort Portal.
“I left home at 3am in the morning and 10hrs later, I haven’t reached the venue of the first rally today because Police and the military keep blocking the roads ahead of us and diverting us to longer dusty routes,” he wrote.
This incident is not an isolated event, as security forces have clashed with NUP campaigns on previous occasions.
On December 6th, Kyagulanyi’s team was beaten up by security forces in Gulu city, prompting the Electoral Commission to condemn the action.
Today, Kyagulanyi called on the Electoral Commission to take concrete actions to address the situation, rather than just issuing statements of condemnation.
“The criminal regime police insists that we use an alternative, rural route which would delay us from reaching the rally by several hours. We had already encountered numerous similar blockades on our journey to Bunyangabu District which made it impossible for us to campaign there,” Kyagulanyi wrote.
The Electoral Commission has been notified of the incident, and NUP is urging the commission to take decisive action to ensure the safety and freedom of all candidates to campaign.
Have An Advert Or Article You Want Us To Publish? Whatsapp: +256786288379 or email binocularugnews@gmail.com
