By KT Reporter
National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu on Saturday braved a tense and heavily militarized environment to hold his campaign rally in Gulu City.
Kyagulanyi, who arrived from Gulu District after earlier rallies, was blocked along Gulu Airfield Road by joint security forces comprising the UPDF and the Police.
Undeterred, he jumped out of his vehicle and proceeded on foot, accompanied by a small team of party members and his security detail. A scuffle later broke out along the route, during which UPDF soldiers allegedly beat some of his security personnel, injuring several, including his close aide Dan Magic.
Kyagulanyi made a slow procession through the streets of Gulu under tight escort, while residents watched from the roadside-some in fear, others cheering jubilantly.
Earlier in the day, security forces had deployed heavily across major streets in Gulu City, with several access roads barricaded using metallic spikes and guarded by armed personnel.
There were also incidents of unidentified groups attacking residents around some streets and at Kyagulanyi’s campaign venue, where they reportedly vandalized music equipment and stoned vehicles before police intervened.
Despite the tension, Kyagulanyi was eventually escorted to his campaign venue amid loud cheers from supporters. However, the crowd remained uneasy, frequently scattering in panic due to the overwhelming security presence.
In his address, Kyagulanyi accused security forces of attempting to suppress his campaign by blocking access roads and intimidating his supporters.
“The Uganda Police say they are creating security and stability. In Gulu today, we have more than 1,000 police officers and more than 500 UPDF soldiers. But their assignment is not to give security to the people it is to make sure Bobi Wine does not campaign in Gulu,” he told the gathering.
He further alleged that despite the heavy deployment, groups he described as “goons” freely harassed his supporters.
“Those people wearing yellow T-shirts some of them are soldiers, others police officers, and others are thugs they picked from ghettos. These people were guarded by police, UPDF, and Uganda Prisons,” he said.
Kyagulanyi told supporters that the intimidation he faces only reinforces the urgency for political change.
“You cannot stop an idea whose time has come. You cannot stop the people of Uganda. It has been 40 years. Museveni took over our country 40 years ago, and many do not know what happened,” he said.
Calls for Unity
Kyagulanyi urged the people of Acholi to unite with Ugandans across regions, saying only collective effort can unseat President Museveni, who has been in power for four decades.
“The next thing we have to do is unite—whether you are from Acholi, Ankole, or Busoga. We must come together because this is a family rule, one man and his family,” he said.
Kyagulanyi concluded his rally shortly before 6 p.m., although police and army personnel continued to man major streets in the city well into the evening.
Saturday’s events in Gulu City came barely a day after a similar heavy deployment in Amuru District, where Kyagulanyi was blocked from proceeding to Elegu Town at the Uganda-South Sudan border.
On Friday, his convoy was intercepted at Atiak Town Council along the Nimule-Elegu Highway by heavily armed police and military personnel.
The road was sealed off using metallic spikes, water cannons, and armoured trucks, effectively halting his movement. The standoff paralyzed traffic for hours as security forces insisted he would not be allowed to campaign in Elegu.
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