Tear gas, live bullets rock Dokolo as police block Mbabazi rally

DOKOLO
Police on Monday fired live bullets and teargas on independent candidate Amama Mbabazi’s supporters as he attempted to address a rally in Dokolo Town.
Mr Mbabazi arrived in Dokolo Town at around 6:57pm local time. His campaign team then started mobilising people who had left the rally venue after waiting for hours for Mr Mbabazi. As they started drawing to the venue, police led by the District Police Commander (DPC) Dokolo, Kayondo Lukanga ordered Mr Mbabazi to leave the venue but he refused. Minutes later, police started firing live bullets and teargas.

Several people sustained injuries and were rushed to nearby clinics for medical attention. By Press time, the specific number of those injured I the incident was not yet known.
Earlier in the day, police deployed heavily to foil what they called sabotage efforts by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters who had threatened to disorganize Mr Mbabazi’s rallies in Dokolo District.

The deployment came after a cross-section of the NRM supporters put a big portrait of the incumbent and NRM presidential candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the Dokolo roundabout. The picture stood facing the west- Amolatar road, where Mr Mbabazi was expected to be coming from after addressing series of mini rallies in Nakasongola and Amolatar districts.
Armed policemen were seen malingering around the spot where Mr Museveni’s picture was hung.
However, the community liaison officer, Mr Julius Martin Ongu said the deployment was to avoid the recurrent of the Ntungamo incident.
Ms Beatrice Abang, the Dokolo NRM chairperson said Mr Museveni’s portrait was put in “good faith.”

“President Museveni has 99 percent support in Dokolo and the pictures you see in the town have been there even before he (Mr Museveni) came to Dokolo for his first leg of campaigns,” she said.
“We cannot do anything to sabotage Mbabazi’s rallies. At least that would be unfair,” she added.

In a related development, policemen commanded by DPC Kayondo earlier in the day closed Health Centre III’s gate with intent to block Mr Mbabazi from accessing it.
More than 10 patients who had hoped to see Mr Mbabazi were sent into panic by the deployment, according to nurses at the health centre who asked to remain anonymous.