The National Unity Platform (NUP) president, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has urged voters in Kawempe to support NUP candidates to strengthen accountability in the use of public resources. While campaigning at Kawempe South Growers Playground on Monday, Kyagulanyi told residents that voting for a National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate at any level was equivalent to voting for President Museveni.
He claimed that NRM leaders facilitate the misuse of public funds under the current government. Kyagulanyi appealed to voters to support him and all other NUP candidates, assuring them that they would remain loyal servants of the people under his leadership.
However, some supporters expressed concerns about NUP candidates who are not residents of the constituencies they seek to represent. Angela Namutebi, a resident of Bwaise who attended the rally holding a campaign poster for Dr. Roy Ssemboga, said that Fred Nyanzi, who is contesting the Kawempe South parliamentary seat on the NUP ticket, is not a resident of the area.
Nyanzi and Ssemboga have been locked in a tight race after Ssemboga lost the NUP primaries and opted to stand as an independent. Kyagulanyi defended the party’s choice of candidates, saying the NUP Election Management Committee carried out a thorough selection process to determine the most suitable flag-bearers.
He noted that several aspirants, especially in Kampala and the metropolitan region, defied party instructions after losing primaries and chose to join other political parties or run as independents. He urged Kawempe residents to vote only the officially endorsed NUP candidates.
During his address, Kyagulanyi also urged residents to reject tribalism and other forms of division. He said that his nationwide campaign trail had demonstrated unity among Ugandans despite what he described as tribal divisions created by the ruling government.
NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya encouraged voters not to be intimidated, calling on them to turn up in large numbers on election day and vote for NUP candidates despite what he described as expected security interference.
As Kyagulanyi addressed the crowd, rounds of tear gas were fired nearby as police and the army clashed with supporters along the road. Kyagulanyi was scheduled to proceed to his second rally at Kanyanya Playground in Kawempe North at 4:26 PM. However, as he left the venue, security forces fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse the large crowds following him.
It was also observed that some supporters hurled stones at police officers, prompting police to beat them, and several youths were arrested. Several people sustained injuries during the clashes, with some suffering deep wounds, while others fainted and were rushed to nearby clinics for first aid.
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