Uganda Police Force and Uganda People’s Defense Forces-UPDF have deployed in Kayunga district ahead of the visit from the Head of State H.E Yoweri Museveni and the National Unity platform’s Robert Kyagulanyi.
The two are in Kayunga to drum up support for their candidates in the Kayunga district LC 5 chairperson by-elections scheduled for Thursday this week.
The deployments are in Kayunga, Kangurumira, Kitimbwa, Kayonza, and Busaana town councils. Security also deployed outside Kyagulanyi’s house in Magere to block him from heading to Kayunga.
“The military has increased deployment around my home. No one is allowed to leave or enter. Our security guard and gardener have been violently arrested, beaten and bundled into 'drones' parked outside our gate. Their phones have been confiscated. Other young men in the area are being arrested and taken away in mobile prisons” says Kyagulanyi.
Officers also reinforced the checkpoint at the River Ssezibwa bridge with water cannons and teargas trucks and created more checkpoints on major routes leading into the district.
According to Ssempala Kigozi the Kayunga Resident District Commissioner-RDC, the deployment is intended to maintain stability in the by-election and secure the President’s visit to the district today to drum support for the NRM candidate, Andrew Muwonge.
He argues that they have learned of a plot by the National Unity Platform-NUP camp to invite their Principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu to campaign for his candidate Harriet Nakwede on the same day, which might create collision.
Kigozi also claims that security has learnt about plans by NUP to ferry people from outside the district to destabilize the voting process in the guise of protecting votes. Opposition candidates have described the heavy deployment as a poly to scare their voters.
Anthony Waddimba, the Democratic Party candidate, says the ruling party has plans to rig the elections. His NUP rival, Harriet Nakwede, says everything is intended to sabotage her final campaign expected to be attended by the party principal.
