NUP creates emergency response unit to treat causalities from campaign frontline

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Unity platform-NUP has created its emergency response unit to treat to victims of injuries sustained during encounters of presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi’s campaign team with security forces.

The unit that relies on donated supplies and logistics is mobilizing it’s supporters within the country and diaspora to generate funds that can support scores of party supporters who are nursing injuries in different hospitals across the country.

According to Dr. Joel Mirembe, the head of NUP’s professional wing, the idea of creating the unit came after two days of presidential nominations in Kyambogo and manifesto launch in Mbarara in which more than 20 party leaders and supporters were badly injured by security agencies.

On Tuesday last week after Kyagulanyi’s nominations, several of his supporters were arrested while other leaders sustained injuries including NUP spokesman Joel Ssenyonyi and Dr. Lina Zedriga the northern region NUP president in a scuffle when police was preventing Kyagulanyi from going to Kamwokya to launch his manifesto.

Later, NUP was forced to launch their manifesto in Mbarara. However, on the return journey to Kampala, a number of Kyagulanyi’s team members were knocked by a speeding security vehicle around Busega on the northern bypass.

At least ten NUP Bobi-Wine diehards of ‘Busabala Best Army’ and outriders of the pro-Kyagulanyi diehard groups were severely injured that night.

Dr. Mirembe says among the victims, there are two members who are currently admitted in Mulago hospital still in critical condition, these are Ssewanyana Muhammad who sustained a blunt chest trauma with hemothorax and his colleague only identified as Ssempijja who sustained a fractured leg.

Now Mirembe says the formation of the emergency response unit will help in lobbying funds from all their well-wishers to support such people who each need more than 10 million shillings to foot their medical bills but also supporting their families.

Muhammad Ssegirinya who is the Minister of disaster preparedness in NUP said some of the members and well-wishers who have been contributing in party fundraising drives have started giving them money to support the two members who are in critical condition.

He condemns the continued acts of brutality done on them as opposition members by security agencies that repeatedly leave many of their colleagues moving on crutches while the rest have lost lives.

Sources in NUP have indicated that several party members were also injured on the first day of the presidential campaigns in West Nile.

*****

URN