Traffic along the busy Nimule-Elegu highway was brought to a standstill for hours on Friday following a confrontation between National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu and security forces who blocked his convoy at Atiak Town Council in Amuru District.
Kyagulanyi, who was scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Elegu Town at the Uganda-South Sudan border, found the road heavily barricaded by police and army personnel. Security forces deployed metallic spikes, an armoured personnel carrier, and a water cannon truck across the highway, effectively shutting down movement in both directions.
Police argued that Kyagulanyi was expected to campaign in Atiak Town Council, claiming this was part of an agreement reached with NUP coordinators. But Kyagulanyi rejected the claim, insisting that he had no knowledge of such a resolution and that the Electoral Commission had approved his rally for Elegu Town.
Rather than comply with police orders, Kyagulanyi remained in his vehicle at the roadblock, drawing hundreds of residents and traders who gathered around him. Standing on the roof of his car, he sang several of his popular political songs as police officers stood in formation with shields. He accused security agencies of persistently blocking his campaign activities despite being officially cleared.
“You can imagine the impunity; you can imagine the injustice. Why are you stopping us from campaigning where we’re supposed to be campaigning?” Kyagulanyi said, also faulting Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama for what he described as silence in the face of police interference.
The standoff caused a massive traffic jam, with trailers, trucks, and passenger vehicles stretching for several kilometres on both sides of the highway. The Nimule, Elegu route is one of the region’s busiest commercial corridors, linking Uganda to South Sudan.
Amuru Resident District Commissioner Geoffrey Osborn Oceng told URN that the district security committee had resolved that no political activities should be held in Elegu Town because it is a major business hub handling heavy cross-border trade. He said the committee directed Kyagulanyi to hold his rally in Atiak Town instead.
Kyagulanyi, however, insisted that he would proceed to Elegu, accusing security forces of a pattern of obstructing opposition campaigns. By press time, the standoff remained tense, security forces maintained their position, and traffic was still largely gridlocked as negotiations continued.
Earlier in the day, Kyagulanyi held rallies in Anaka Town Council in Nwoya District and Pabbo Town Council in Amuru District, where he repeated his call for a “new Uganda” free of corruption and marked by restored democratic governance.
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