Ugandan police arrest presidential aspirant, deliver him for nomination barefoot

FDC Presidential aspirant Patrick Amuriat being presented at the nomination centre without shoes. [Picture: Courtesy]

Ugandan police officers on Tuesday arrested Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential aspirant Patrick Amuriat before driving him to a nomination centre barefoot. According to the Daily Monitor, Mr Amuriat was dramatically arrested by the officers at the party offices in Najjanankumbi, Ssabagabo, central Uganda, where he had gone to pick his nomination papers.

The Ugandan press reveals Amuriat was violently arrested and put in a police truck and forcefully driven to the Kyambogo Cricket Grounds where he was expected to be nominated to vie for presidency in 2021.

“I have come here wanting to pick my nomination papers for me to get nominated. Unfortunately, this seems to be problematic because all I see is police all over the place and don’t know what to expect. For me I’m here to pick my papers,” he told the Ugandan press.

The country’s Electoral Commission had directed candidates to only pick a group of 10 people to accompany them to the nomination venue. But Mr Amuriat is said to have defied the order as he vowed to match to Kyambogo University with a multitude of his supporters.

This did not augur well with Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango who warned candidates who would defy the rules.

"Any Presidential Aspirant who mobilises boda-bodas for a procession risks being arrested including those boda boda riders. We have plans to respond proportionately, in the face of violent crime, which may include the use of teargas to disperse the violent groups,” he told the Ugandan press.

The Ugandan presidential candidates are making visits to the nomination centres for clearance to face incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, one of the longest-serving presidents in the continent.

Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, a pop star-cum-lawmaker, was accorded state protection as he made his way to the nomination centre earlier today.

Wine shared a note from the police asking him to strictly co-operate with the officers by directing his supporters to the designated routes.

“You will be escorted with a Uganda Police Force with a lead traffic vehicle to the nomination venue with your team as per the Electoral Commission guideless. Your route to and from the venue will be Magere, Kumbuzi, Kisasi, Ntinda Stretch road, Spear Motors, Kyambogo University Junction, nomination venue. We look forward to your positive cooperation in this exercise,” the letter partly read.

He would then ask officers to treat his supporters humanely during the procession.

Police has written to me about this route as I go for nominations tomorrow. Today, we saw people mobilised by NRM standing along different roads, guarded by the police, unmolested. WE HOPE THE POLICE WILL BEHAVE THE SAME WAY IF OUR SUPPORTERS STAND AND BY THE ROAD TO WAVE TO US pic.twitter.com/u09kCnfz4A

— BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) November 2, 2020