Museveni woos Kayunga voters as police, NUP clash

National Unity Platform (NUP) party supporters were thrown into disarray yesterday as police lobbed teargas, dispersing their procession on the final day of campaign rallies for the Kayunga District chairperson by-election.
Hell broke loose at noon in Kayunga Town as riot police moved in, fired teargas and the fans scampered for their lives, breaking up hundreds of NUP supporters chanting slogans to loud music from the public address system at the party headquarters.
The excited NUP supporters were heading for campaign rallies in Ntenjeru, Kayunga Town Council, in the company of party candidate, Ms Harriet Nakwedde. The Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Francis Zaake, was part of the procession.

The party loyalists were fired up in anticipation that their party leader, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, would join them to drum up support for party flag bearer, Ms Nakwedde.
The fans had been assured by party leaders that Bobi Wine would beat the cordon at his home and arrive unannounced.
But Bobi Wine was blocked by security personnel from accessing Kayunga after his home in Magere Village, Wakiso District, was besieged by police and soldiers.

The Kayunga Resident District Commissioner, Mr Ssempala Kigozi, had on Monday said Bobi Wine would not be allowed to access the district to campaign for his candidate.
NUP party candidate Nakwedde was set to address her final rallies in Kayunga Town Council, according to a harmonised Electoral Commission programme. But this ended in tears and her supporters chocking on teargas fumes.
Mr Zaake was briefly arrested by police but was later released.
The fracas left the streets of Kayunga Town deserted and shops closed.
NUP party spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said their candidate and Mr Zaake sustained injuries in the fracas. He accused the security agencies of brutally.

Police respond
But Mr Dennis Namuwoza, the acting commissioner of police in-charge of operations, who has camped in Kayunga to foresee the by-election, blamed NUP leaders for the fracas. “The head of state was in the district and basing on the threats we had received, we advised them (NUP) to change their campaign venue to another area, but they refused,” Mr Namuwoza said.

“We have one head of state and when he is coming, you can’t block the road,” he said. He dismissed reports that MP Zaake was injured in the fracas, adding that “no one was beaten or injured.”
“If there is anyone who was injured, let them show you their pictures. They were posting old pictures of Zaake on social media the last time he was injured. My team acted professionally and we are cognizant of human rights” he said.
But Mr Ben Ojambo, the NUP district chairperson, described the acts of police as “barbaric.”

Museveni rallies NRM
But some 30 kilometres away at Kayonza Primary School in Kayonza Sub-county, President Museveni was coolly drumming up support for Mr Andrew Muwonge, the NRM party flag bearer in the Thursday by-election.
In his address to hundreds of NRM party leaders in Bbaale County, Mr Museveni urged them to vote for the party in the by-election, not for Mr Muwonge as an individual candidate.
“An individual has no potential to solve people’s problem, even I as President; it is you who give me power,” he said.
The President wondered why Kayunga District, where many people claim to be NRM supporters, the party received few votes in the last general election. “Even I, the President, got 35 per cent; who are those voting against the President?” he wondered.
He urged them to do away with the Karangwa-Nantaba wrangles and vote for the party flag bearer.

Mr Moses Karangwa, the district NRM chairperson, and Ms Ida Nantaba, the woman MP, are locked in political wrangles that have seen the President intervene in vain.
“Even if you didn’t support him (Mr Muwonge) in the primaries, vote him,” the President said.
During the meeting, Mr Museveni handed over at least 1,000 freehold titles to tenants in Kayonza and Kitimbwa sub-counties.
The tenants, who are living on public land, were facing eviction after a sugar company had fraudulently bought their land. The titles will now strengthen their tenure on the land.

The Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, said the dwindling NRM support in the district was because of the political wrangles between party leaders.
 Others in attendance included NRM secretary general Richard Todwong, Lands minister Judith Nabakooba, Ssabanyala Baker Kimeze, and NRM EC chairperson Fox Odoi.
The President also held another campaign meeting in Busaana Town, Kayunga District.