By Simdi Gloria:-
Ugandan Police say 16 have been killed and 45 others injured in protests that followed the arrest of opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine as tensions flared two months before presidential election.
Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, a pop star turned politician was still in detention after being arrested on Wednesday for allegedly violating coronavirus measures at his rallies, over the large crowds attending.
Wine is considered the main challenger to veteran President Yoweri Museveni who is seeking a sixth term in power.
The Kampala Police Chief said, “The death toll is now 16, with 45 injuries.
About 350 people have been arrested for participating in violent acts including looting, destruction of property, traffic disruption, theft, and robberies during the riots.”
Joel Ssenyonyi, the spokesperson for Wine’s National Unity Platform party, said the party has still been denied access to Wine, who is being held in Nalufenya prison in eastern Uganda’s Jinja District.
“They have denied him access to his lawyers; they have denied him access to the doctors. They denied access to family and all of that. So, we don’t know the condition in which he’s in, which is very worrying – because this Nalufenya here, has for a long time been notorious for killing people, for maiming people, poisoning people; they inject them with stuff and so on,” Ssenyonyi said.
Most of the other candidates challenging incumbent President Museveni suspended their campaigns Wednesday in support of Wine.
The candidate for the Alliance for National Transformation, retired General Mugisha Muntu, said the election cannot go forward under the current circumstances.
“Because it doesn’t make sense for there to be an election and then you have fully nominated presidential candidates being arrested. They will use methods of humiliating candidates to a point where they hope that the population can say this person whom we are banking on is not a solution to the challenges that we face,” Muntu said.
NEWSIE EVENTS MEDIA TEAM Follow Us On Twitter,Instagram & Facebook
@NewsieEvents,I.G newsieevents, Facebook Newsie Events