Kampala, Uganda – Fourteen members of the National Unity Platform (NUP), including prominent figures like NUP Secretary-General David Lewis Rubongoya, Party Spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi, and Head of Mobilization Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, have been released by the Kampala Police. They were detained on Independence Day as they organized a prayer gathering.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango confirmed their release and clarified that no charges had been filed against them. Their arrest had taken place with the deployment of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and Police in Kamwokya and other parts of Kampala. The detained individuals, including Rubongoya and Ssenyonyi, were apprehended after addressing journalists and were taken to Kira Road Police Station.
The police claimed that the arrests were made due to suspicions of the NUP supporters organizing parallel Independence Day celebrations as a pretext for other motives. According to Onyango, intelligence suggested that they intended to use the NUP offices in Kamwokya as a gathering point for members to obtain specific numbers and later engage in demonstrations, including burning tires to disrupt the country’s Independence Day celebrations in Kitgum, Northern Uganda.
NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu took to social media to condemn the raid on their headquarters and the prevention of their national address. He expressed solidarity with the families of NUP supporters who, according to him, had been “abducted, disappeared, or imprisoned” by the regime due to their support for change. Kyagulanyi emphasized the importance of resisting such actions and called for an end to punishing citizens for expressing different political opinions. Would you like to get published on this Website? You can now email Uganda Times: an Opinion, any breaking news, Exposes, story ideas, human interest, articles, or any interesting videos: [email protected]. Or join the Ugandatimes WhatsApp Group or Telegram Channel for the latest updates
