The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Faridah Nambi, the ruling National Resistance Movement-NRM party candidate for the Kampala Woman parliamentary seat took the streets to celebrate her nomination contrary to the Electoral Commissions’ ban on processions.
Nambi, who stood on a wheel loader with several private bodyguards drove from the EC Ntinda offices to the streets in the city center accompanied by hundreds of Boda-boda riders clad in NRM party colors to celebrate her nomination.
The procession went through Kiira Road, Mulago Round About, Wandegeya, Kampala Road, Jinja Road up to Kati Kati Restaurant at Lugogo where they converged. However, none of the security officers manning different checkpoints in the city stopped Nambi and her supporters.
Asked why she had chosen to hold a procession contrary to the guidelines issued by the Commission, Nambi told Uganda Radio Network-URN that she secured permission from Police, which okayed the procession with a limited number of people.
Nambi, who was clad in a yellow over-all and armed with a spade in hand, explained that police specifically allowed her to have a procession with a group of Boda-boda riders, rubbish truck and loader.
While Nambi had a free ride, the story was different from the Kampala Central Member of Parliament, Muhammad Nsereko. The flamboyant legislator wanted to go through Ntinda into the City center but was directed by police officers at the Ntinda EC offices to take a different direction on grounds that processions are banned.
Nsereko was immediately driven to his home in Bugolobi in the company of a Police Patrol truck leaving his supporters on Boda-bodas and sound truck stranded in Ntinda. The Makindye West MP, Allan Ssewanya was also intercepted around Katwe and bundled on a police patrol van for leading a procession shortly after his nomination.
Last week, EC issued nomination guidelines, requiring all parliamentary aspirants to appear at the nomination center accompanied by four people and leave quietly. On Wednesday, EC Spokesperson, Paul Bukenya, said they wouldn’t allow any form of mass gatherings and that security forces were already briefed on this and will enforce it to the latter.
Luke Owoyesigire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, who sounded surprised about Nambi’s procession told URN that they haven’t sanctioned any processions in Kampala.
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