NUP claims jammers placed at rallies to restrict coverage, writes to EC

The National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, aka Bobi Wine, has accused the Uganda Police and other state agents of systematically frustrating his ongoing campaigns in Eastern Uganda.

Bobi Wine alleged on Saturday morning that the security forces are not only blocking his campaigns in main towns, but also trying to prevent his message from reaching other parts of the country electronically.

He claimed among others that some stage agents operating in police vehicles were deploying signal jamming technology at his campaign rallies across the Busoga region. 

“We appreciate that you (journalists) are working under stress especially those streaming live because we have been informed that there are jammers moving in police cars, to ensure that they sabotage and frustrate our communication with the rest of the world,” he said.

Concurrently, the party’s Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, confirmed that NUP is formalising these grievances, including claims of illegal route diversions, in a letter addressed to the Electoral Commission (EC).

Sabotage and Illegal Route Blocks

During the press briefing, Bobi Wine detailed the consistent challenges faced by his team and the media during the first phase of the campaign. 

The candidate also noted that while authorities were blocking their use of main roads and townships, this adversity provided an unexpected benefit, allowing his campaign to document the true state of the country. 

"We are blocked from using the main roads and townships. But this is an advantage because we get to see first-hand and show the world the reality in rural Busoga, the sickening poverty, the dead infrastructure, debilitated schools and health care systems," he stated. 

He further alleged that on the longer routes they were forced to take, police vehicles would deliberately drive slowly in front of his convoy to ensure the team arrived late for rallies.

Iganga Campaign Blocked

The NUP leadership cited the campaign disruption in Iganga Municipality as a clear example of what they consider discriminatory actions by the police. 

The party’s Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, detailed their attempts to follow the rules, despite the alleged obstruction. 

“Police told us that they did not want us to campaign in Iganga Municipality and even claimed that we were planning to burn the municipality. We engaged with the RPC, and called Kampala headquarters and Mr Byabakama of the EC but the police said we could not be in the municipality because of the numbers,” Rubongoya explained. 

He added that while NUP agreed to an alternative location in Kigulu North Constituency, police still insisted on a highly circuitous route, which would have added "three to four hours" to their journey. 

The party has chosen to respond to such provocation with restraint: "We refuse to be involved in altercations with the police, because they want to provoke us into violence so that they can have justification to brutalise our people. We are going to run this campaign on morality and non-violence and adherence to the law."

Police Response and EC Petition

Rubongoya confirmed the party has since "penned the letter to the Electoral Commission" which is expected to be delivered early next week, demanding clarification on whether certain areas are explicitly forbidden for NUP campaigning while other candidates are permitted access.

The Police have yet to respond to claims of disrupting signals from the NUP rallies.

Kituuma Rusoke, the police spokesperson, however, refuted the NUP's account of the Iganga rally cancellation. 

The Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke clarified in a statement that while the Mayuge rally was successful, Kyagulanyi Ssentamu and his group were "advised to follow the agreed-upon route to Iganga Municipality" but chose an alternative, unapproved route, encountering cut-offs, leading them to cancel the event and head to Jinja City instead. 

The police urged the NUP team to "adhere to security guidelines to ensure smooth and peaceful campaigns."