Police have
used teargas to disperse Nakawa Market vendors who had gathered to cheer up
presidential aspirant Rtd. Henry Tumukunde as his motorcade drove along Jinja
road towards Kyambogo for his nomination.
Prior to his
departure for the nominations, Tumukunde told journalists that as a trained
soldier, he wouldn’t travel silently to
Kyambogo yet his opponent and incumbent president,
Yoweri Museveni mobilized his supporters to hold processions as they
accompanied him for the nomination.
As his time
for nominations drew close, Police patrol vehicles and traffic motorbikes
fetched Tumukunde, his nominators and seconders from his Kololo campaign office.
They directed him on which route to take on his way to Kyambogo sports grounds.
However,
upon arrival at Nakawa Market, several vendors surrounded his vehicle chanting
his pressure group slogan ‘Kisoboka’. Police officers tried to chase the
vendors in vain. After trying in vain for more than 20 minutes amidst the
surging crowds, three water cannon arrived together with police patrol vehicles.
The officers disembarked from the patrol vehicles and started firing teargas to
disperse the crowd. Tumukunde
described the police action as cowardly and promised to return more determined
to mobilise his supporters after his nomination.
'//Cue in: “Ugandans have……
Cue out:…….want to see it”''
Before setting off for nominations, several Sheikhs and pastors prayed for
Tumukunde and his campaign team.
''//Cue in:
“Njagala nsabe……
Cue out:…….ebintu bya Uganda,”//
According to
the nomination guidelines, each presidential aspirant is expected to appear with
ten people including his nominators and seconders.
Despite this, president, Yoweri Museveni was accompanied by various NRM youth leaders donning their party cards who lined up the road from Spear Motors to the nomination grounds.
Kasirye Ashraf Saif-llah
Freelancer