Uganda Police Force: Police Statement on Consultative Meetings (06.01.2020)

Opinion: Bobi Wine and associates arrests today, shows it has no value in complying with laws…

“Police spokesman Fred Enanga confirmed that Mr Kyagulanyi and members of his entourage had been arrested. “We are temporarily holding them in our police station. We shall have to release them at some later stage but we are looking at charges of holding an unlawful assembly and disobedience of lawful orders,” (…) ““The meetings are supposed to be in enclosed venues as guided by the Electoral Commission,” Mr Enanga added on Monday” (Derrick Wandera – ‘Bobi Wine transferred to Nagalama Police station’ 06.01.2020, Daily Monitor).

Is there any help in complying with the Public Order and Management Act of 2013 and the Presidential Elections Act of 2005? After today, the whole public and everyone whose a stakeholder should scream: “NO”. No sir, there is no way you can get cleared or fixated without meeting the Police Force and they finding something to pinpoint. Because, that is what they did in concern of the People Power Movement and Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine today.

Because the laws itself is screwed that way, they can nearly interpret anything as a Public Meeting, a gathering and then use their authorization to deny the meeting, block the venue and call it unlawful. Since, that is what they do. There is no denying in that either, as that what happens and on a regular basis from the Police Force.

Even one of the laws states this.

Presidential Elections Act of 2005:

“3. Aspirant consultations

(1) An aspirant may consult in preparation for his or her nomination as a presidential candidate within twelve months before the nomination date.

(2) While consulting under subsection (1), a presidential aspirant may—

(a) carry out nation-wide consultations;

(b) prepare his or her manifesto and other campaign materials;

(c) raise funds for his or her campaign through lawful means;

(d) convene meetings of national delegates.

(3) While consulting, the aspirant shall introduce himself or herself to the Commission and notify the relevant local council and the police of the area to which he or she goes” (Presidential Elections Act of 2005).

What you can say about this is that its not specific about what consultations is. That is why the Police Force uses the means and laws of the Penal Code and the POMA. This is why the Police Force uses unlawful assembly and preventative arrests, instead of shielding the venue and actually safeguarding the participants for the Presidential Candidate. It is very rich of the state to do this, but by this point its their modus operandi.

We knew this would happen, this is the sort of things that at this point is written in the stars, that is carved into stone and a natural reflex of the state to flex upon the opposition and use their force to block and stop the activities of them. That is just the way it is. Not that its wise nor brilliant. However, it sends a signal and shows their contempt of assembly and consultations in general. Peace.

Kenya: Ministry of Interior & Coordination of National Government – Return of Dr. Miguna Miguna to Kenya (06.01.2020)

Zimbabwe: Government – Press Statement (06.01.2020)

Bobi Wine and associates blocked, arrested and stopped from their first consultation meeting

Today, the police arrested Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, Joel Ssenyonyi , Asuman Basalirwa, Latif Ssebagala, Benjamin Katana and Lewis Rubongoya at Kasangati police station. This as the opposition MP, Bobi Wine planned to follow up his first scheduled and announced consultation meetings ahead of his Presidential bid in 2021.

This shows that the notifications, that the letters to both the Police Force and the Parliament is useless. As the tear-gas, the blocked venue in in Gayaza, at the Our Lady of Good church.

If the Police Force, the authorities thinks this is big business, which this is efforts well made. They are very wrong. They are just showing their impunity and their oppressive behaviour. By first mandating the opposition to follow protocol, notify and follow the laws. While doing so, prepare to block the venues, arrest the leaders and stop the meeting from ever happening. That is just wrong.

The Police has said the organizers didn’t secure the security for the participants and also lacking toilets at the location. Nevertheless, the Police had enough security to block of the venue, put roadblocks all-over and arrest the leadership. You go figure, what the priorities where, it wasn’t for the opposition to meet and greet, but it was to detain the leadership and seal off the venue.

The media also got to pay for their monitoring of the unfolding events:

“JUST IN: Police has arrested NBS reporter Edward Kisekka, Radio Simba’s Ssematimba Bwejiire and NTV’s Arnold Sseremba. This as they covered the arrest of presidential hopeful Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi” (NBS Television, 06.01.2020).

What has happen to the politicians they have been detained for a few hours at Kasangati Police Station, but now its reported that they are being moved to Naggalama Police Station for further arrest, where they will be behind bars for longer. Who knows for what charges or for what reason they all got arrested. It will surely be in the bounds of inciting violence or unlawful assembly. We don’t know yet, but this is another misuse of preventative arrests, which have done before by the authorities in concern with opposition leaders and MPs.

All of this happening in Gyaza in Wakiso district isn’t new. That opposition leaders getting detained in Kasangati isn’t new either. This is ordinary, scheduled programming, but the intent is shown and the force of the state is there. That the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and their authorities does this. Only further proves, their liberation struggle was for a handpicked few, but not the for public at large. Because, if so, why cannot a man who has followed all procedure get to hold consultation meetings ahead of presidential candidacy in the upcoming election?

That just doesn’t make sense.

That’s why the authorities says things like these: “They should have requested for security of their participants which they have not done – Edson Muhangi, Kasangati DPC on why Bobi Wine’s consultative meeting has been blocked” (NTV Uganda, 06.01.2020).

When a man has done everything in advance and the authorities knows about it. Why not offer security? You got manpower to detain, block and put up roadblocks. In regards to not being informed or not having capacity to secure the venue. If the authorities really minded it. They would have all resources to secure them and the public to participate. However, they were predetermined to seal it off and arrest the opposition leaders. Which isn’t shocking, but yet another story in how the Police Force and the government handles opposition in the Republic at the stage. Peace.

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Sudan: Forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change – Red Sea Press – Statement (02.01.2020)

Clashes erupted after a fight that took place on Thursday, January 2, in the main market (Port Sudan), in which the victim was killed and the perpetrator was kept by the regular forces.

As a result of these clashes, varying injuries resulted in the transfer of some of the injured to various state hospitals, which have reached to date:
81 cases, 23 injuries yesterday
And 58 injuries are different today
And number 9 deaths


The forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change held a direct meeting this afternoon with the mandate of the mandate of the Red Sea in charge of which I discussed:
– The importance of the deployment of security forces in the seam areas, according to information received from the field action committee of the Forces for the Freedom and Change Declaration _ the Red Sea and official reports to address security gaps in specific areas.
– The necessity of issuing a press statement from the police press office containing details of the incident and the investigation process so far.

The necessity for the regular forces to play their role in maintaining security without failure. We call upon our people in the Red Sea to show the utmost restraint, to raise the voice of reason and to miss the opportunity for stalkers who seek to ignite the fire of strife.  Mercy for the victims, solace and the most sincere sympathy for their families and urgent recovery for the wounded.

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