The Uganda Police Force has halted the National Unity Platform (NUP) mobilization tours across the country over what they termed as noncompliance to the agreed upon standard operating procedure.

According to a press statement released by the Police Spokesperson, ACP Kituuma Rusoke on Friday, as mandated by law, to preserve public order they have halted the NUP countrywide mobilization tours until such a time when the rule of law can be respected.

Police claims the NUP team went against the agreed positions of maintaining public order and not making processions in areas where they are holding their mobilization tours which was the case in Buikwe district where they were on Thursday.

Earlier on Friday Police and the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) officers were deployed heavily in Nakasongola district to block the mobilization tour of the NUP President, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

Kyagulanyi was expected in Migyera town on Friday afternoon to mobilize support for his party in the area where he was supposed to address supporters at Migeera town market grounds.

The NUP Organizing Team led by Faridah Nabatanzi, the NUP Head of Mobilization in Buganda on Friday morning embarked on assembling a public address system and clearing the grounds to host Kyagulanyi only for policemen to surround them.

The policemen and UPDF soldiers commanded by Stephen Niragire instructed the team to stop and immediately vacate the grounds saying they had got instructions from the Inspector General of Police to block the tour.

Nabatanzi tried to protest the order in vain and immediately the policemen directed the sound technicians to dismantle the public address system before the forces started chasing their supporters off the grounds.

Nabatanzi said the order came as a surprise since they had agreed to the terms of the Police including not holding processions or making stopovers along the Kampala-Gulu highway.

By Ben Musanje

15 Nov 2024

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