Pro-Mbabazi youth beaten, denied access to meeting
NRM youth fight for T-shirts in Lira Town on Tuesday. Pro-Mbabazi youth claimed they were beaten and denied entry to a consultative meeting. PHOTO BY BILL OKETCH
What you need to know:
The youth say they were assaulted as they tried to access the venue of the meeting promoting Mr Museveni as NRM’s sole presidential candidate in 2016.
Lira- Youth in Lango sub-region, who are against Mr Museveni’s NRM sole candidature in 2016, were on Tuesday assaulted by those supporting the Kyankwanzi resolution.
The youth said they were beaten as they tried to access Lira Hotel, the venue where Northern Youth MP Evelyn Anite was to meet the youth in a bid to sell Mr Museveni’s bid.
The vice chairperson for the NRM youth league in northern Uganda, Mr Willy Omodo-Omodo, said he and other pro-Amama Mbabazi youth were manhandled and denied access to the meeting.
Mr Omodo said the victims include the youth councillor for Lira Municipality, Mr Walter Abura, and Mr Alyana Okello Alyana, a youth from Barr Sub-county in Lira.
Mr Okello told the Daily Monitor that he was robbed of unspecified amount of money during the scuffle.
“I have reported the matter to police,” he said.
While North Kyoga Region police spokesperson Manshur Suwed said he was not aware of the case, a police detective, who talked to this newspaper on condition of anonymity, said some youth were blocked from attending the meeting.
Despite the scuffle, the meeting went ahead, with Ms Anite urging the youth to support President Museveni’s fifth term bid.
“The reason why we want him (Mr Museveni) to continue is very simple. He flashed Kony out of northern Uganda and brought us peace. Now, who are these people against the peace and stability that we have just started enjoying?” Ms Anite said.
She later passed out hundreds of crime preventers in Lira Town, distributing T-shirts that have President Museveni’s picture.
Some youth were seen fighting for the T-shirts.
