NUP women’s day celebrations sabotaged by police in Mityana

Police in Mityana Thursday violently distorted a gathering organized by the area legislators to mark the belated women’s day celebrations.

The lawmakers include Busunju County MP Lukyamuzi Kalwanga, the district woman MP Joyce Bagala Ntwatwa and the LCV chairperson Mugisha Patrick and several NUP leaders.

According to police, the leaders did not seek clearance to hold the gatherings as mandated in section 5 of the Public Order Management Act 2013. Important to note is that these two draconian sections that curtail democratic freedoms of assembly and association were nullified in a landmark constitutional court ruling.

Bagala attributed the violent melee to her political nemesis also Lands Minister Hon. Judith Nabakooba who she says is doing all possible to frustrate her political mobilization.

Several NUP members were beaten up in the running battles with police. Majority who were arrested are at Mityana CPS pending prosecution in the courts of law.

Bobi Wine condemned the police excesses and described it as a gesture of repression by the regime.

“…One day, someone will have to account for these crimes,” Bobi warned in a tweet.

Meanwhile, a similar event organized in the eastern Uganda district of Buyende, located about 200km from Mityana went on smoothly with Buyende Woman MP,  Ms Mary Nakato of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the deputy spokesperson for the office of the party (NRM) national chairman (ONC), Dr Brenda Tibamwenda as some of the key guests.

Ms Nakato, a member of the ruling NRM handed over 15 tractors from government to Buyende women groups to boost commercial agriculture in the district.