KAMPALA – The National Unity Platform-NUP has said that the 2021 polls were the most violent the country has witnessed.
On Wednesday, top officials from the party were appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights that is probing violence in the 2021 elections. The leaders reiterated calls to have all of its members and supporters who are currently being held in different facilities countrywide released.
Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi, John Baptist Nambeshe, the Eastern region deputy president and Mathias Mpuuga, the NUP deputy president in charge of the central region told the committee that the elections were marred by an unprecedented level of violence and will go down as the most violent in Uganda’s history.
Rubongoya claims that 19 NUP supporters died during the campaigns, in addition to the over 50 people who died in the protests in November. He told the committee that several of their team members were targeted, several of them beaten and injured while hundreds were kidnapped and are still missing.
Rubongoya says that although their members are being held at Kitalya prison and others in Makindye Military barracks, they should be released because all of their crimes against them were fabricated.
He also called for investigations into the shooting of over 50 people in Kampala and different parts of the country.
Mpuuga says that fighting for the release of the NUP supporters has been difficult as the process has been highly commercialized. He claims that it is very unusual for an NUP detainee to get non-cash bail.
Marvin Sasi, the legal officer of NUP denied that NUP violated standard operating procedures on COVID-19.
Agnes Taaka Wejuli, the committee vice-chairperson who was leading the session tasked the team to account for its members who were intimidating members and threatening violence.
However, Mpuuga told the committee that those who blocked the roads and beat-up Ugandans were disguised NUP supporters and hooligans.
Wejuli said they will interact with security and all affected persons then write a detailed report.