Kyagulanyi, the head of the National Unity Platform was scheduled to hold a campaign meeting at Awere Playgrounds in Layibi-Bardege division. He arrived at the campaign grounds at around 5:00 p.m, in the company of parliamentary candidates Lalam Irene and Munguriek Brian.
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Police officers deployed to ensure order during Bobi's visit are busy on ground
Parts of Gulu city were covered in Teargas on Wednesday as police
battled supporters of Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu.
Kyagulanyi,
the head of the National Unity Platform was scheduled to hold a
campaign meeting at Awere Playgrounds in
Layibi-Bardege division. He arrived in Gulu at 4; 45 pm flanked by heavily armed police
escort after a disappointing trip to Kitgum and Pader Town Council
where he was denied venues.
Field Force Unit - FFU Police personnel blocked his convoy from entering Gulu central business district and diverted the fleet through Airfield Road - Lacor - Sir Samuel Baker road to
Awere playground, a venue which was filled by hundreds
of youth, bodaboda riders and vendors from Olayolong Market in Gulu East Division.
Kyagulanyi cheered his supporters with an acapella of his "Fighting for freedom" song, but the situation went out of hand as more and more supporters converged at the scene breaking the security perimeter fence mounted for crowd control.
Police immediately halted the rally and
accompanied Kyagulanyi and his entourage out of the ground. Angered by the action, rowdy youth pelted stones towards police personnel who retaliated by firing tear gas and live bullets to disperse the crowd.
Police
commanded by Moses Ogwang, the Officer-in-charge of Operations at Gulu
Central
Police Station said that Kyagulanyi was behind the scheduled time. He, however, tried to resist amidst cheers from the thousands of his supporters who were advancing towards his vehicle. The police subsequently escorted him out of the venue through Sir Samuel Baker Road, Cemetry Road, Acholi Road,
Lagara Road and Ring Road.
Earlier,
Aswa Region Police Spokesman Patrick Jimmy Okema and Gulu Resident
District Commissioner Santos Okot Lapolo said that Kyagulanyi had been
allowed to hold the campaign with strict adherence to the COVID-19
Standard Operating Procedures and Ministry of Health`s guidelines.
The presidential candidate had earlier on Wednesday
addressed a rally in Pader District. On Thursday Kyagulanyi heads to Lango sub-region as 2021 the Presidential campaigns enter the fourth day.
Emmy Daniel Ojara is a young journalist and has been practicing since 2013, during which he covered land rights violation in the contested Apaa and Lakang in Amuru as his first take ups while at Gulu Fm, Favor Fm and later Paidha Fm and Speak Fm where he is still attached.
Human rights abuses and denied access to land by security and government agencies has been the major aftermath of the contest over the lands. The underprivileged such as women, children and the elderly faced challenges in accessing soc
