Soldiers beat up National Unity Platform (NUP) officials and reporters during their visit to a Nameere home in Kawempe North. The team went there because someone told them people inside were marking ballots before election day. David Lewis Rubongoya from NUP learned about this possible cheating the night before. He said armed forces guarded the house where it happened. Rubongoya showed up Wednesday with opposition boss Joel Ssenyonyi and candidate Erias Nalukoola Luyimbazi.
Neighbors had tipped off Ssenyonyi earlier that week. They noticed Electoral Commission person Julius Mucunguzi kept visiting this particular house recently. The team spotted several cars with people taking off their license plates when they arrived. Similar vehicles helped cheat in previous local elections across the country. Charles Lwanga and Hassan Sembalirwa, government officials from Nansana and Luuka areas, stayed at the house during this time.
The situation turned violent fast. Military personnel and plainclothes gunmen attacked Rubongoya and several media workers. Attackers smashed windows on both Nalukoola and Ssenyonyi's cars using rocks. Steven Kibwiika from Spark TV ended up in the hospital with bad injuries. The attackers also took his camera equipment. When Ssenyonyi asked the police to step in, they acted uninterested. He demanded the Electoral Commission explain whether they actually run the Kawempe North special election.
Police across Kampala beefed up security because of the upcoming vote. They positioned officers everywhere to stop any election violence. Patrick Onyango, who speaks for Kampala police, mentioned they planned ahead for trouble spots. He explained that patrol teams include different security groups—regular police, military police, defense forces, and emergency response vehicles. Intelligence teams already mapped out dangerous areas where officers will maintain a heavy presence throughout election day.
Neighbors had tipped off Ssenyonyi earlier that week. They noticed Electoral Commission person Julius Mucunguzi kept visiting this particular house recently. The team spotted several cars with people taking off their license plates when they arrived. Similar vehicles helped cheat in previous local elections across the country. Charles Lwanga and Hassan Sembalirwa, government officials from Nansana and Luuka areas, stayed at the house during this time.
The situation turned violent fast. Military personnel and plainclothes gunmen attacked Rubongoya and several media workers. Attackers smashed windows on both Nalukoola and Ssenyonyi's cars using rocks. Steven Kibwiika from Spark TV ended up in the hospital with bad injuries. The attackers also took his camera equipment. When Ssenyonyi asked the police to step in, they acted uninterested. He demanded the Electoral Commission explain whether they actually run the Kawempe North special election.
Police across Kampala beefed up security because of the upcoming vote. They positioned officers everywhere to stop any election violence. Patrick Onyango, who speaks for Kampala police, mentioned they planned ahead for trouble spots. He explained that patrol teams include different security groups—regular police, military police, defense forces, and emergency response vehicles. Intelligence teams already mapped out dangerous areas where officers will maintain a heavy presence throughout election day.
