Uganda’s leading opposition party National Unity Platform (NUP) has defied police directive on stopping their mobilization tour.
NUP spokesperson, Joel Ssenyonyi says the party has successfully concluded its first part of the mobilization tour as planned and they will soon again hit the ground for the second phase.
“And I can tell you, phases number two, number three and the others will be even bigger and better. Soon we shall unveil the district we shall go to in the next phase,” Ssenyonyi said.
He was responding to a statement by the deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Geoffrey Katsigazi Tumusiime in which he indicated that Kyagulanyi and his NUP supporters had disregarded a number of guidelines provided to them by police.
“While we completely support the right of individuals, groups and other citizens to peacefully gather or assemble, and make their views on matters of public policy, we have noticed that, in all areas where the NUP mobilization activities have been carried out, there have been total breaches to the guidelines,” Maj Gen Katsigazi said
But Ssenyonyi described the statement as scapegoats by government to curtail their activities and said they are not bothered.
“When we had just set out for this tour, they thought our supporters waned and unexpected to them, the numbers were big .Increasingly, they have seen the support continues to grow. They had to come up with an excuse,” Ssenyonyi said.
He admitted that through these tours, NUP seeks to have regime change but said they want it done through the legal means.
The NUP spokesperson said in two weeks’ time, they will resume the mobilization tour as they set eyes on central Uganda.