HOIMA — Kyadondo East Member of Parliament (MP), Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known by his stage name – Bobi Wine who is in Hoima for the Woman MP by-election has claimed that military policemen have descended upon opposition supporters and mobilizers and mercilessly clobbered them without any provocation.
Kyadondo East MP and leader of the people power movement Robert Kyagulanyi on Tuesday September 24 held rallies—drumming up support for Asinansi Nyakato, a joint opposition candidate for the Hoima woman parliamentary seat.
Bobi Wine says the military which had a police back up led by one Afande Joseph Bakaleke Gwaidho (former DPC at Kampala Central Police Station) and Afande Christopher Katumba (DPC Hoima District) attacked people power supporters on the evening of Tuesday, which was also the last day of open campaigns.
Bobi Wine claims that some of the opposition supporter especially People Power have been whisked away by the military ahead of the tight by election slated for Thursday September 26.
For instance z he alleges that Saasi Marvin, the group’s deputy team leader of the Youth Wing in charge of Western Uganda is one of those that did not survive the unprovoked wrath of the military men.
“He [Saasi Marvin], demanded to know why they were beating him but that attracted even more severe beatings,” Bobi Wine said in a statement on his Facebook.
He castigated President Yoweri Museveni and his government, accusing him of labelling People Power as a group of violent hooligans.
“Hoima and elsewhere, where we have had by-elections proves otherwise,” Bobi Wine said calling upon all voters in Hoima to disregard the “blatant state intimidation and exercise maximum restraint as they cast their ballot tomorrow.”
The last time Bobi Wine and Mr Museveni were in the same constituency campaigning was in Arua last year where the campaigns later ended in violence.
The Hoima woman MP seat fell vacant after Ms. Tophace Kaahwa Byagira (NRM) chose to represent the people of the newly created Kikuube district that was carved out of Hoima in July 2018. In a rare show of solidarity, a combined force of the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Democratic Party(DP), Alliance for National Transformation and People Power pressure group have joined forces to rally behind an FDC candidate in the Hoima Woman MP by-election.
