Mob chases Besigye, Munyagwa from Kawempe

They dismantled the mobile van and destroyed the public address systems; in addition to chasing whoever had converged to attend the rally.

Members of the opposition whose rally on Friday was foiled by a mob and the police in Kawempe Division have dubbed the action a reoccurrence of the Kiboko squad – a stick-wielding group, bold in the past for beating civilians in the presence of law enforcers.

Opposition politicians; Dr Kizza Besigye, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, his deputy Sulaiman Kidandala and Kawempe Mayor Mubarak Munyagwa were on Friday treated to teargas, and had their cars destroyed.

Drama ensued as soon as the four arrived at the rally grounds at Kawempe Muslim Primary School. A mob of over 300 youths purportedly referring to themselves as residents of Kawempe Division stormed the grounds.

They dismantled the mobile van and destroyed the public address systems; in addition to chasing whoever had converged to attend the rally.

Stones hurled
Dr Besigye and Mr Lukwago, the main speakers, were welcomed with hurling of stones and teargas at the scene that police had already surrounded.

The mob, while shouting they were tired of demonstrations, approached Lukwago’s car, smashing its windscreens as police looked on.

In trying to escape the mob, the driver drove towards the policemen but was, however, put at gun point, with officers describing the incident as an attempt to cause harm to them.

Mr Lukwago and Dr Besigye were driven to Kawempe Police Station, where they were detained shortly before being driven to Kasangati, the home of the former leader of opposition.

“Such an act is a reoccurrence of the Kiboko squad because no people can dare beat others in the presence of police and nothing is done,” Mr Lukwago said.
Mr Sam Omala, the Kampala North Metropolitan Commander, denied allegations that the police organised the mob.

“Those men are unserious; if I had heard that [allegation], I would have left the civilians to burn their cars. Do we have money to pay those people? That is absolutely not true,” Mr Omala said.

Meanwhile, the leaders yesterday announced a new movement through which they said they will liberate Uganda from a “rugged regime that prefers to keep its citizens under fear.”

“If this is the direction the government and its aides (Police) have chosen to take, we shall see who is who - the power of the citizens and the government,” said Mr Muhammad Nsereko, MP Kampala Central at a press conference held at City Hall.

“We are therefore starting the ‘Operation Change Uganda’ starting within Kampala and we are very much determined to take it to the whole of the country,” he added.

akiyaga@ug.nationmedia.com