Bobi Wine’s lonely walk to election day

On Thursday, the police arrested the last members of National Unity Platform (NUP) party presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine’s campaign team. 

The 17 remaining members who had escaped were arrested at Kakoli Village in Budaka District, handcuffed and taken to Mbale Central Police Station. 

A week ago, police had waylaid and arrested 126 Bobi Wine supporters in the islands of Kalangala District. When they appeared in court after five days of detention, dozens of them appeared to be limping as they hopped out of the prison truck at Masaka Magistrate’s Court. They later displayed wounds on various parts of their bodies before the court as they pleaded for mercy, saying they had been tortured. 

This has been one of the most remarkable changes on the Bobi Wine campaign trail as he entered into the last lap of canvassing votes. After the arrest on Thursday, his head hung in the air in solitude as he went to campaign in Namayingo District. 

When he set out for his campaigns on November 10, Bobi Wine had a caravan of more than 40 vehicles that moved ahead and behind him, forming long queues on both lanes of the roads they passed. Most times, they made the roads a one way. 

As of Thursday, Bobi Wine also did not have any of his private guards, who he always referred to as bouncers. Most of them have been arrested, knocked down by cars without registration plates believed to be used by security operatives, while some have been killed in unexplained ways. 

Bobi Wine insists these have been state-managed incidents to let him remain alone on the trail, slow him down and weaken him further. 

“Hundreds of my campaign team members have been arrested by the regime because they think when they take them away, we shall not get the support from people in those places we go to. The bad news to them is that the prisons are full, they can arrest 70,000 [people] the capacity of prisons in Uganda but we shall remain more than 18m voters out,” Bobi Wine said in an interview for this story.

The musician turned politician has remained alone on the trail, save for Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake, as it could be witnessed on Thursday evening. 

During one of his online press conferences, Bobi Wine announced plans to petition the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged abuses by security forces.

Last year in November, even though he said the ICC had acknowledged receipt of their petition to try President Museveni on abuses against humanity in Uganda, four-time presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye called upon people who had more evidence that pins government officials to take it to their offices on Katonga Road in Kampala or to their regional or district commissioners.

NUP party secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya says the continued torture and arrest of their team members has affected their rhythm of canvassing votes across the country and that the international justice bodies have been informed about what is happening in the country. 

“What happened yesterday [Thursday] shows that the country doesn’t care about anything happening to the people. These numerous torture cases cannot go unpunished because the international society is watching. We shall not cover up for what they are doing, they will always expose this regime because they expose themselves,” Rubongoya told Saturday Monitor in an interview.

However, these incidents, according to sources within NUP, have demoralised most of the members, including Bobi Wine, who is believed to be shaken because of the absence of some of the people whom he takes as big stakeholders in his decision-making. 

“The people who were arrested are key people in mobilisation but not the key people moving this campaign. If the principal is not seeing Nubian Li (fellow artiste Ali Bukeni), Dan Magic (Daniel Oyerwot – his music producer) and Eddie Mutwe (Edward Ssebufu, top private guard), he will not be fine. You can just see that his morale is low and that is what the State has always wanted to see in him,” a source told Saturday Monitor.  

Sources in NUP party also intimated to this newspaper that the killings that have persisted have scared many supporters who would have loved to get closer to Bobi Wine for fear that they are being targeted  and could be killed anytime. 

“These arrests wouldn’t have been a problem because after sometime, you can come out, but the killing of supporters by the State has scared many supporters. We think they will be killed so they are trying to avoid that because most of their cars and properties are being impounded as well,” the source said yesterday.

 More than seven vehicles which have been on Bobi Wine campaign trail have since been impounded and taken to various police stations across the country, including a press car that had been transporting a group of journalists, especially those that have been working with Ghetto TV. 

Mr Aloysius Mukasa, the NUP party parliamentary candidate for Rubaga South, who has been providing transport to most of the campaign team members, says his three cars are still under police custody after they were impounded.

“I am now concentrating on the constituency because we have to win the presidency and Parliament too. I had a drone and a number of ambulances on the trail but we will see how we can get those out of police custody after this whole campaign,” Mr Mukasa says. 

Sources also indicated that the party is considering those that have been arrested and produced in court mostly because they have to bail them out, something Mr Mukasa says requires a lot of money. 

For instance, last week when the supporters who were arrested in Kalangala District were produced in court, they were bailed out with cash worth anywhere between Shs100,000 and Shs200,000 each. This means they spent not less than Shs20m on that day if they managed to pay the money. 
Mr Benjamin Katana, a NUP party lawyer, says the party spends more than Shs15m every week for on bail and that has put them in a difficult financial situation. 

“Good enough many people come to our rescue but I know the State is trying to impoverish us and slow us down but we came to this knowing that all things would happen. So we are more prepared every day,” Mr Katana said. 

NUP party spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi says although their expenditure has gone up towards the end of the campaign period, the party is working around finishing the race strong. 

“We are also making sure we guard the vote as a party. We have put up all mechanisms to see that we shall be able to guard the vote, but we have also been in touch with some political parties in coming up with one team as had been suggested. We are set as a party and the others can share what they have because we are open to our friends,” he said. 

Sources indicated that the party has struggled getting polling agents who would be in charge of the votes but most of the polling stations across the country have at least two agents from the day, who have been undergoing training for the last one month. 

“The focus is now on the final lap. There are more than 34,000 polling stations across the country but there are more than 60,000 agents as of now. Their identities cannot be divulged for fear of being compromised and their own security,” a source said.

Mr Ssenyonyi acknowledged the presence of polling agents but declined to comment more about the matter.
By yesterday, Bobi Wine’s campaign trail had only Zaake as the MP moving around the country with him. 
Mr Zaake says most of his fellow MPs fear to even get close to Bobi for fear of their lives. 

“These keep asking me how strong-hearted some of us are but you know the kind of torture we have gone through, we are now hardened and we fear nothing. We move knowing we shall be killed anytime but I have sacrificed myself in all those hard times,” he said in an interview. 

According to sources, the recent pronouncement by the Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, banning cameras at polling stations has further destabilised the NUP camp, who have enjoyed coverage on social media and various mainstream media platforms. 

Before incidents of last week in Kalangala, Bobi Wine trail had more than 30 online TV stations, bloggers and social media handlers following him through the trail. A couple of them have since been arrested and are battling different charges, while others have chosen to take a back sit out of fear.

Yesterday, EC spokesperson Paul Bukenya said the directive was meant to uphold the sanctity of the polling station and the secret ballot norm. 

“We shall, however, allow cameras at tallying centres because at that time, the document becomes a public property, we even pin them,” Mr Bukenya said. 

Some of the arrested members

Ali Bukeni, aka Nubian Li
Edward Ssebufu, aka Eddie Mutwe
Hadija Nalubega
Joy Namuyimba
James Mubiru 
Monica Atushemereirwe
Oliver Lutaya
Maurine Nabukeera
Maria Tracy Nakimuli
Tasha Nakalema
Charles Mpangi
Patrick Nsereko
Moshin Kakande
John Bosco Sande
John Lukyamuzi
Regan Lule
Ivan Kigundu
William Muteeba
Faisal Kigongo
Musa Mulimira
Bashir Mulisa
Abubaker Nsubuga
Nelson Ndyasiima
Sam Mutumba
Richard Kalema
Julius Mwanje
Muzafalu Mwanga
Ismail Kaddu Nyanzi
Stanley Kafuko
Achileo Kivumbi
Geoffrey Onzima
Anthony Agaba
Robert Kivumbi
Bonny Obicho
Samson Ssebiranda
Shakira Namboozo
Sulait Bukenya
Deo Mugambe
Lawrence Sserwanja
Henry Martin Ssekiswa
Richard Ntambi
Vincent Kiggo
Geoffrey Ssempijja
Abudallah Kawuki
Ismail Mugaga
Ivan Mubiru
Samuel Matovu
Ibrahim Tamale
Elijah Bikubi
Mutwalibi Ssempijja
Hussein Mukisa
Brian Semanda
Hassan Katumba
Sharif Najja
Sam Okanya
Ibrahim Kizza
Enosa Tuhame
Sam Ssenyimba
John Kabengwa
Charles Mumbere Mariro
Peter Sentuma
Peter Kiwanuka
Robert Katumba
Enock Muwanguzi
Fred Mukose
Hajalah Kalidi Nakyinda
Racheal Akiiki
Saphina Nansove
Jamila Kalyango Mwanje
Rihanah Kemigisha
Shamira Nabukalu
Lamech Ssentamu
Swaliki Zafa Ssegirinya
Paddy Kalungi
Chris Zzali
Kennedy Kyalimpa
Robinson Ntambi Mudde
Lukman Kampala Mwijukye
Hassan Kasaga
Muhamad Nsubuga
William Nsubuga
Adam Matovu
Muhamad Mugerwa
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