[ad_1]
Harshly speaking President Museveni scolded pro-Bobi Wine protesters in Kampala and other Ugandan cities yesterday to stop playing with fire and reminded attacking civilians that he is a skilled fighter.
The president also made it clear that the people who will die in the protests will not be compensated. Museveni was campaigning in the Kotido district, where he warned that protesters will eventually disappear from the streets because the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party knows the art of fighting the right wars.
Museveni spoke about the riots for the first time since Wednesday, but did not mention Bobi Wine’s name anywhere.
“Those who have been attacking the NRM people in Kampala, they will soon lose that appetite. They will see an NRM uniform, they will lose apatite when touched. Even if they leave it there, they will not be able to touch it. They have entered the area that we know very well, of fights and they will regret it ”, he said.
No compensation
The NRM leader also warned that those who will lose their lives in the ongoing protests will not be compensated.
“Some of these groups are being used by outsiders, homosexuals and other outside groups who do not like the stability and independence of Uganda. But they will find out what they are looking for,” Museveni said.
Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, who is the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate in the presidential race, was arrested on Wednesday for defying Covid-19 rules. Mr. Kyagulanyi is accused of holding mass demonstrations in violation of the Electoral Commission guidelines.
Protests immediately erupted in Kampala and other parts of the country when his supporters demanded his release. Since then, police authorities have confirmed that 29 people have so far died in the protests.
Museveni reiterated that despite calls to postpone the polls due to the unrest, the 2021 general elections should be held on January 14 as scheduled.
Museveni, who continues to meet only with NRM leaders and flag bearers, said rallies are not supposed to be held because the party does not want to see more people infected by Covid-19.
So far, the virus has killed more than 158 Ugandans.
Today, Mr. Museveni will return to the Moroto district to meet with young people from the Moroto, Amudat, Napak, Alebtong and Nakapiripirit districts, before heading to his campaign stage in the Teso sub-region.
Sign up for free AllAfrica newsletters
Get the latest African news straight to your inbox
UNMET promises
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Kotido metropolitan area called on the president to fulfill pending promises from the 2016 election campaigns. Peter Abraham Lokii, NRM president for Kotido district, said that people in the four districts of Kotido, Karenga , Kaabong and Abim are mired in poverty, which needs to be addressed.
“We need to be informed about the strategy to end poverty, which is at 60 percent. There is a livestock compensation problem, which has remained in people’s minds,” he said.
Mr. Lokii also reminded the president of the need for a general hospital in the Kotido district.
In his response, the president said that work will be done on the hospital while addressing the poverty issue by extending electricity to all sub-counties and also paving the Moroto-Kotido-Kaabong-Kidepo highway.
Museveni said the Chinese will build the Moroto-Kotido-Kaabong-Kidepo highway that will link the agricultural products of Karamoja with the southern Ethiopian market via Kenya. The president ordered Dr. Kenneth Omona, his top private secretary, to contact the Attorney General’s office to finalize the issue of compensation for animals lost to thieves.
