The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has downplayed public concern over the recent clashes in Gulu involving security personnel and the National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, insisting that the incident has been exaggerated and misrepresented in the media.
While appearing on Big Talk on Next Radio , Acting Defence Public Information Officer Col. Chris Magezi said coverage of the episode has been “overplayed for some reason,” leading to what he described as unnecessary alarm.
According to Col. Magezi, the core issue is not the confrontation itself but what he called “unequal and subjective information” being circulated.
“The pressing concern is that the information is not being presented equally and objectively enough for an ordinary person to make an informed decision,” he said.
Col. Magezi dismissed suggestions that the incident amounted to a major crisis.
“What happened in Gulu is not a disaster that should cause people to be extremely worried,” he said.
He accused Kyagulanyi of disregarding agreed campaign arrangements, saying the candidate has repeatedly avoided designated venues and instead held impromptu rallies along busy streets and in marketplaces.
“We have seen instances where the NUP candidate has not gone to the venues arranged for him; instead he has staged impromptu rallies on business streets and in marketplaces,” he said.
Col. Magezi defended the conduct of security personnel in Gulu, insisting they did not attack the candidate or his team unprovoked.
“The security forces in Gulu are not the ones who attacked Bobi Wine and his group. Bobi Wine and his team provoked the security forces through their actions and conduct,” he said.
He criticised what he described as emotional reactions from the public, saying there was a tendency to amplify the use of force without considering context.
“For instance, people are outraged because some individuals were beaten with sticks, yet in some of our own communities, parents still administer corporal punishment to their children, and some schools do the same,” he said.
The comments come amid growing scrutiny over the conduct of security agencies during the campaign period, with human rights groups calling for impartial investigations into the use of force against opposition supporters.