Bobi Wine to resume consultations next week

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu alias Bobi Wine is set to resume his nationwide consultations on his presidential ambitions on Monday next week.  The “People power movement” leader told journalists on Thursday morning that he is ready to consult with the population in his bid to unseat the incumbent President, Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 presidential elections.

According to the schedule, Kyagulanyi will resume consultations at Pope Paul VI Memorial Hotel on Monday February 24, 2020 starting at 9:00am. However, there is no official response from the Uganda Police Force about the proposed consultations, despite the official communication by group to the law enforcement organ.

URN has seen a copy of the letter written and received by the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) dated February 14, 2020 notifying the police about the revised consultations.  Addressing journalists at People Power Movement Kamwokya-based offices, the group Spokesperson, Joel Ssenyonyi, said their initial consultation plans were frustrated by police, “without any satisfying reasons” despite clearance by Electoral Commission (EC).

According to Ssenyonyi, when they wrote to police, the only response they got was through media reports the next day by the Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, saying they hadn’t followed the laid down guidelines. He argues that they expected the Police to respond by inviting them for a meeting where fresh guidelines would have been laid out, a meeting they have waited for in vain.

“…because we have followed everything the law requires us to do. The Public Order Management Act says ‘notify the police about your intentions’ and the law says if police has any concerns, they should write to you within 48 hours. So we have been waiting for police to write back to us with any concerns or to invite us for a discussion. But as we wait for that to happen, we are planning for our consultations and they are going as planned from our end,” says Ssenyonyi.

The movement says they subsequently, through one of their lawyers, Medard Ssegonna Lubega and Lukwago & Co. Advocates wrote to them another letter in the same week but still without any response from the Force.  The group says they expect Police to cooperate and facilitate their consultations with the necessary security.

According to Kyagulanyi, following their meeting with Electoral Commission, that was triggered by numerous clashes with police, they wrote to the authorities as advised and required by law. He says police have been elusive ever since.

It is not clear whether Kyagulanyi will be allowed this time around to hold his consultative meetings. Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga says following the guidance by the Electoral Commission to have a meeting with the presidential hopefuls, they have not had audience with them.

Police say they expect not only Kyagulanyi, but all the other intending presidential candidates to present to police, clearance of the venues they intend to use for their consultations, the number of people they expect and other arrangements, which Enganga says, Kyagulanyi hasn’t fulfilled.

Enanga says they have only learnt of Kyagulanyi’s intention of sitting with police through social media.

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URN