At least five supporters of the National Unity Platform were injured on Saturday after groups of street gangs armed with sticks and other crude weapons attacked Robert Kyagulanyi’s campaign team in Gulu City.
Presidential candidate Kyagulanyi, who is better known as Bobi Wine, said the group vandalised property at his rally venue.
The attackers, described by NUP officials as hired goons, stormed the site of the party’s campaign event and damaged cars and sound equipment before fleeing.
Several party supporters were left bleeding and were later taken for treatment.
Bobi Wine said the scenes in Gulu represented what he termed “a wider pattern of state-enabled violence” targeting his campaign.
“This is what Museveni and his fellow criminals are doing to the people of Uganda,” he said in a statement issued shortly after the clashes.
He added: “Earlier this week, the military attacked and vandalised our office in Gulu City. This morning, they deployed goons who started beating up our people. In the afternoon, they raided the venue, beat up our people, vandalised our sound system and stole several items.”
He said one of the injured was a campaign driver who had not regained consciousness by the time of his statement.
“As we approached Gulu City, these criminals in police and military uniform attacked us with sticks and stones and started beating up our people. One of the thugs hit me with a stick on the face. Dan Magic was hit on the head. Several comrades are hospitalised,” he said.
Local celebrity cum political hopeful Daniel Oyirwoth, also known as Sir Dan Magic, was left bleeding from the head after an encounter with officers alleged to have been attempting to block the NUP leader from accessing the city centre.
The DJ was caught up in a crowd of stick-wielding "goons" and security personal - including UPDF soldiers toting both assault rifles and huge sticks - forcing Bobi Wine to fight his way in to rescue the compatriot.
The commotion followed an earlier standoff at the Bank of Uganda branch junction along Airfield Road, where Mr Kyagulanyi’s convoy was intercepted by UPDF soldiers and police.
The presidential candidate later proceeded to the rally on foot, walking nearly five kilometres alongside supporters.
He accused security agencies of escalating violence to frustrate his mobilisation efforts.
“All this because Museveni is dead scared of the people. No amount of brutality will save him from an inevitable fall. No amount of brutality will stop the people of Uganda from fighting for their freedom,” he said.
Security agencies had not issued a public response to the allegations by press time.
