Bobi Wine calls off campaigns, cites fears for his life

Ugandan Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has suspended his campaigns after police shot one of his aides and wounded a bodyguard identified as Wilfred Kato Kubai. 

Wine’s right-hand man Daniel Oyerwot, aka Dan Magic, survived with mutilated lips as police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters at Kyampisi trading centre in Kayunga District. 

The injured were rushed to Nazigo Health Centre III before they were moved to Mulago National Referral Hospital.                                                                                           

Wine’s car was also shot at as he attempted to bypass a military blockade as he arrived in Jinja City for his second rally.

Diverted

At the old Nile Bridge, police and army personnel who had been heavily deployed diverted him towards Budondo village where he was set to address his supporters.  

But after the diversion, Mr Kyagulanyi tried to use force to access Jinja city through one of the roads that had been blocked by police and the army. The army instantly shot at his car tyres and shattered the windscreen.

In the midst of the fracas, Mr Kyagulanyi and his supporters kept yelling at the security officers for blocking his campaign meetings.

Mr Kyagulanyi, who is running for presidency on National Unity Platform (NUP) party ticket, told journalists in Kayunga that he was compelled to suspend his campaigns as a protest against “the continued brutality and killing of his supporters”. 

Electoral commission silent

The NUP leader has accused the Justice Simon Byabakama-led Electoral Commission (EC) of keeping silent even as police continue to target his supporters.

He asked his supporters to remain calm and indicated that he would seek a meeting with EC Wednesday to discuss the way forward.

“We have been brutalised and killed but the EC has continuously remained silent on these matters. Do they want me killed before they come out? Are they even in charge of this election or they are hoodwinking Ugandans?” Mr Kyagulanyi asked shortly after the Jinja shooting.

“Over 100 people were killed two weeks ago during the riots, although the government only mentioned 54. I was abducted at the nomination centre right in front of EC; my campaigns have been blocked and, just yesterday, five people were killed. In all this, EC has been quiet. Tomorrow we shall go and face them and demand for these answers,” he said on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s shootings in Kayunga and Jinja came exactly five days after EC wrote to the Inspector -General of Police Martins Okoth Ochola asking him to stop blocking presidential candidates and indicated that they have a right to move and access the designated campaign venues and hold their meetings in compliance with the Covid-19 standard operating procedures as issued by the Commission.

Mr Paul Bukenya, the acting EC spokesperson, told Daily Monitor Tuesday evening that the commission had seen images of the confrontation between police and Mr Kyagulanyi and that they were ready to receive his complaints.