Woman hurt fleeing military at Bobi rally

A woman was injured on Tuesday after she fell while fleeing military officers deployed to disperse supporters of National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, in Entebbe Municipality.

The incident occurred as Kyagulanyi headed to Tanda Grounds, where he later addressed a campaign rally.

Witnesses said security personnel moved in to block and disperse crowds that had gathered along the route, prompting panic among supporters. During the commotion, the woman stumbled and fell to the ground as people ran for safety.

Kyagulanyi later condemned what he described as repeated disruptions to his campaign activities, particularly in Makindye Ssabagabo and Entebbe Municipality. He said his team had been cleared to hold a campaign rally scheduled to start at 1:00 pm, but was nonetheless obstructed by security forces.

“Our campaign activities continue to be disrupted despite having clearance,” Kyagulanyi told supporters, adding that he had earlier set off from the NUP headquarters in Makerere Kavule to Busabala in Makindye Ssabagabo for his first rally of the day before proceeding to Entebbe for the final engagement.

In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account later in the evening, Kyagulanyi alleged that security forces fired teargas canisters in his direction as he returned home.

“Yet again, they aimed teargas cannisters at me as we returned home this evening. If this brutality is meant to break us, it only strengthens our resolve to fight and end this criminality,” he wrote.

Security authorities had not immediately issued a statement explaining the deployment or the dispersal of supporters by press time.

The incidents come amid growing calls for restraint and respect for political freedoms during the election period. In his Christmas message, the Bishop of Soroti Diocese of the Church of Uganda, Rev. Kosea Odongo, urged leaders and security agencies to uphold peace and protect citizens’ rights.

“When you look at our nation—the nature of schools, roads and hospitals—we need leaders who will serve and bring change. Nobody should be threatened during this election period,” Rev. Odongo said.

Tensions between opposition groups and security forces have periodically flared during campaign activities, raising concerns among civil society groups about public safety and the conduct of political engagements ahead of the elections.

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