Security has sealed off the National Unity Platform (NUP) party offices in Hoima City. Roadblocks have been mounted on all access routes leading to the party offices located in Lusaka Middle Cell, Hoima East Division.
The operation, carried out by joint security forces comprising the Uganda Police Force and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), began at around 9 a.m.
The officers reportedly cordoned off the area and blocked anyone from accessing the premises. Habib Buwembo, the NUP Chief Mobiliser, who was present during the raid, said party members were shocked when security personnel surrounded the offices and ordered everyone to vacate.
Buwembo explained that they had convened for a brief meeting with supporters, candidates, and flag bearers in the city when security interrupted the gathering. He described the move as an attempt to intimidate party members and hinder their efforts to organize and discuss the party’s regional progress.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine Region Police Spokesperson, confirmed the raid and deployment at the NUP offices. He explained that the operation followed intelligence reports indicating that NUP supporters were mobilizing to hold a procession in Hoima City without notifying police.
Hakiza said security could not permit any political procession in the city centre without prior communication from the organizers. He appealed for calm, describing the deployment at the NUP offices and in various parts of Hoima City as “normal.” This is not the first time security has sealed off opposition party offices in Hoima. In September, police heavily deployed around the offices of the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) party located in Kijungu Cell, Hoima East Division.
The Anti-Riot Police raided the offices around 7 a.m., preventing access to the premises. At the time, NEED party president Joseph Kabuleta had been scheduled to launch the party’s Bunyoro regional offices and lead a procession through the city to Kibanjwa Trading Centre in Kitoba Sub-County, where he planned to address a rally.