Musician turned Politician, Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine’s scheduled Boxing day show is now hanging in balance as the army allegedly cordoned off the venue, arresting several and ordering many to vacate.
If the Kyadondo East Legislator’s social media platforms are anything to go by, the army was, a few minutes past midnight dropped in droves aboard military trucks in Busabala before going ahead to surround his One Love Beach, where preparations for the Boxing day fete were in high gear.
Bobi Wine revealed in a statement on his social media platforms that the soldiers would then order the organisers to bring down the stage and pull down all materials for the show, arrested his employees and sent away his guests who were lodging at the Beach.
He said; ” The beach is completely cordoned off as if it’s crime scene!! I’ve not stopped receiving calls from my staff and neighbours who are in too much fear, as these actions are being carried out in the deep of the night.”
According to one of the organisers, a one Mbabazi; “It was coming to midnight when we saw a group of policemen and soldiers around this place, they ordered me and my staff members to leave the beach.”
“Within a blink of an eye, the whole beach was surrounded by policemen and soldiers, all the beach gates were surrounded. They asked me to get the security guard and they ordered the sound ram to put the stage and abandon their work.”
Mbabazi claims that the soldiers kept on getting calls from different people with different instructions.
“I want to assure Bobi supporters that the show will take place because everything is in place,” Mbabazi claims.
However, Police Spokesperson Emilian Kayima insists Bobi Wine did not undertake the required measures for his show to stand.
“ I’m not sure about the One Love beach Busabala concert being among those that are cleared to be given security. As far as I’m aware, I don’t think the concert will happen unless it was cleared this morning,” Kayima told Nile Post
“We shall be at Busabala beach to disperse revellers because we shall be protecting them. As far as I’m concerned, this concert wasn’t cleared because the first things weren’t done,” he added.
Kayima maintained that Bobi Wine’s shows have an extra clearance since he is a politician as well, and he has failed to understand that fact. He however, said he is unware of any arrests made by the army or police, not even the cordoning.
“If Bobi Wine hasn’t written to Police about his concert, that’s not my issue because if he writes, we shall police his concert. I however don’t know if anyone was arrested or the place being cordoned off,” Kayima said.
“The only problem in this country is that some people fly with the wind. Those who pay for the One Love beach Busabala concert will know who to hold liable when it doesn’t happen,” he added.
According to Bobi Wine, the show will happen.
“Although we were disturbed last night, we are here still going on because we are citizens and we are entitled to be serviced by police. The force they used last night would have been used secure this concert,” he said.
“It’s shameful if the police spokesperson doesn’t know that more than 40 policemen and soldiers were deployed here last night to stop the concert, this shows the state of our police,” he added.
Bobi maintains that the show has been in existence for the past ten years and if not cleared, it is the police’s fault.
“Yesterday, I had two shows which were also cancelled. The Boxing Day concert being cleared is the duty of Police, we’ve been having it for the past 10 years, it’s police that haven’t played their part.”
This means that Bobi Wine’s woes are from over despite the speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga resolving last week that blocking the legislator’s shows is unconstitutional with no basis in the law with Police coming out to deny that they were targeting him, saying that he (Bobi Wine) was showing up to perform on shows where he was not invited.
Meanwhile Bobi Wine’s nemesis, Bebe Cool will be having his annual tondeka ekiwatule show after police deployed in numbers to provide security.
