By KT Reporter
Security forces and opposition leaders are trading accusations following chaos at Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the National Unity Platform-NUP presidential candidate’s rally campaign rally in Iganga Municipality on Friday, which left one supporter dead and dozens injured.
Police spokesperson Kituma Rusoke accuses Kyagulanyi of inciting his supporters to attack security personnel, saying they pelted officers with stones, prompting the use of force. He confirmed that Mesach Okeya was killed and that several supporters were arrested for injuring officers and damaging police property.
In contrast, Kyagulanyi condemns the incident, calling it security brutality aimed at suppressing aspirations for change. “The regime is using violence to provoke, but the movement will continue non-violent,” he wrote on his X account. The rally, held at the railway grounds, attracted supporters from the three constituencies in Iganga.
As the crowd departed around 5:45 PM via an agreed route, teargas and live bullets were reportedly deployed, causing panic. Witnesses said Okeya collapsed and was unresponsive when colleagues rushed him to Iganga General Hospital, where the mortuary is yet to conduct an autopsy.
Nasser Mudiobole, the Iganga Municipality Parliamentary candidate, said dozens of supporters were injured and criticized the use of excessive force against a crowd leaving a peaceful rally. Eyewitnesses reported heightened anger among youths, who accused security forces of deliberately targeting Kyagulanyi’s supporters.
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