Police have insisted on maintaining the ban on the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) nationwide mobilization activities saying there is a planned mass demonstration in January 2024.
Fred Enanga, the Police Spokesperson while addressing the Journalists this on Monday September 18 at Naguru during the weekly security press conference, noted that they have reliable information that NUP is planning for a demonstration to destabilize the country.
Last week, the NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine vowed to defy police guidelines and proceed with his ongoing nationwide campaign in two weeks’ time despite the latter insisting on compliance with their directives issued earlier in the same week. Saying the directive is illegal and lawful because the police have no moral authority to issue such a directive.
Enanga says the first phase of NUP’s nationwide mobilization activities was strategically restrained from being conducted in a violent way as the leaders had planned.
He says that Ugandans should reject NUP’s violent activities or unlawful demonstrations once they activate them.
Enanga insists that they won’t allow NUP to destabilize the country and they are ready to ensure Ugandans are secured from any unlawful activity.
On Wednesday, September 13, issued a directive banning the ongoing mobilization tours by National Unity Platform president, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu and its members on the ground that the mobilization tours and rallies are done in open spaces which are difficult to manage, adding that currently, the National Unity Platform uses poorly trained people to act as guards which put the lives of their supporters and well-wishers at stake.
Before the directive earlier on Monday September 11, the police had already warned that Kyagulanyi’s rallies were vulnerable to attacks by terrorists who might take advantage of the loopholes therein.
In a statement issued by the deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen. Geoffrey Katsigazi Tumusiime indicated that Kyagulanyi and his NUP supporters have disregarded a number of guidelines provided to them by police and that the mobilization tours by Kyagulanyi have caused chaos in the various parts of the country they have been so far held.
“In all areas where the NUP mobilization activities have been carried out, there have been total breaches to the guidelines,” Katsigazi added.
Bobi Wine had so far held mobilization tours in Western Uganda, Bunyoro sub-region, Tooro sub-region and Luweero in central Uganda among other areas.
