By Derrick Wandera, KAMPALA Uganda
Information has emerged about what happened between police and the media managers before Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine was dragged out of a local radio station in Jinja City at the weekend and ordered to leave.
Robert Kyagulanyi being escorted out of NBS FM offices by police amid
excited supporters. |
Apparently, police
tried to break into the radio’s studios but could not succeed. Their demands to
the station managers to open the studios were rejected as illegal.
Mr Michael Muwanguzi, the manager of NBS FM in Jinja told Daily Monitor
yesterday that there had been heavy police deployment at the station before Mr
Kyagulanyi arrived.
He said crowds of
chanting supporters gathered outside the station as the People Power leader was
live on air on the current affairs talk show titled ndabilwamu (mirror) hosted
by Mr Ibrahim Shamiru Byakika.
“The police entered the
newsroom and went up to the studio where we were hosting Hon Kyagulanyi but
because we have security locks on the door to the studio, they could not access
him,” Mr Muwanguzi told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview yesterday.
The police
spokesperson, Mr Fred Enanga, denied that police had entered the station. He
insisted they only deployed outside to guide Mr Kyagulanyi out of the city
safely.
“Our team did not enter
the station, they were outside. You can find out from the station. Because some
hooligans had surrounded the station, we only wanted to make sure Bobi Wine was
brought back to Kampala without causing crowds gathering around,” Mr Enanga
told Daily Monitor yesterday.
On the day of Mr
Kyagulanyi’s appearance at the station, all cars from Kampala were being
searched to make sure he did not sneak into Jinja.
However, to avoid
police tracking, Mr Kyagulanyi had spent the previous night in Jinja.
Mr Kyagulanyi abandoned
his official vehicle and travelled by a different car.
Upon seeing Mr
Kyagulanyi enter the building, police stormed inside the station and entered
the manager’s office demanding that the show be cancelled.
When the show started,
police tried to force their way into the studios but failed to enter.
“They waited for him
and immediately he finished the show, he was dragged out and taken to his car
before being escorted to Kampala,” the source at the station narrated.
Yesterday, Mr
Kyagulanyi said he had anticipated the police reaction and was not surprised by
the Jinja incident.
He said police are
using the excuse of preventing the spread of coronavirus to block his
mobilisation but they would have done the same with or without the Ministry of
Health guidelines.
“We have been blocked
before and we know that police will always come in to block our programmes
because the regime does not want us to reach out to the people. We are not
going to rest, we shall go on to meet the people from all available platforms,”
Mr Kyagulanyi said.
The coordinator of
Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Ms Alice Alaso, said the Jinja
incident is regrettable.
“We have always said
the use of radio for campaigns disadvantages both the voter and the candidate.
It also negates the cardinal constitutional principle of free and fair
elections in that owners will be intimidated. Candidates cannot afford radio
time. We ANT will engage with EC next week,” Ms Alaso said.
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) deputy Secretary General, Mr Richard Todwong, said: “We have presented before Parliament our complaints and regulations are being made by the EC on how the campaigns will be run using the media.” – Daily Monitor
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