By KT Reporter
Police in Busia District have intensified a manhunt for a shadowy group accused of tearing down and defacing campaign posters of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Busia Deputy Resident District Commissioner Nassar Wandera Kisuyi confirmed that several complaints have been logged after posters of the president were found mutilated, particularly along Majanji Road, where they had been affixed to electric poles.
“We have observed a group of about five youths moving in the evening hours, deliberately tearing down the president’s posters,” Wandera told reporters. “This is an act of hatred and provocation that must be stopped.”
Wandera says security operatives have been instructed to apprehend the culprits and “end this lawless practice before it poisons the political season.”
The defacement of campaign materials is a criminal offence under Section 168 of the Local Government Act and the Electoral Commission guidelines.
The two instruments stipulate that anyone who destroys, mutilates, defaces, or removes a legally displayed notice or document without lawful excuse faces up to six months in jail or a fine of five currency points (100,000 shillings), or both. Maliciously defacing or removing any candidate’s campaign poster carries a stiffer penalty, up to one year in jail or the same fine, or both.
Wilberforce Lwagula Aremo, the Busia District NRM administrator, described the acts as an insult to the president.
“Printing and displaying campaign posters costs money,” Aremo said. “Those who think they can destroy them with impunity should know they are disrespecting the law and the people’s choice. We urge police to arrest the perpetrators and ensure they are prosecuted.”
The police have yet to make any arrests, but Wandera maintains that the dragnet is tightening. “This is not mere mischief; it is a calculated attempt to undermine democratic expression,” he warned.
As the 2026 general elections draw nearer, authorities in Busia say they will not allow what they call “acts of political sabotage” to disrupt a peaceful campaign season.
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