Kyagulanyi rallies Mukono for change

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National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi on Tuesday rallied supporters in Mukono, renewing his call for change and national unity.

Kyagulanyi began the day with a visit to the home of Christopher Kaddu in Misinde, where he received what was termed as blessings from the Mbogo (Buffalo) clan.

At the ritual, conducted by Mutaka Namutwe and witnessed by Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze, Kyagulanyi, draped in barkcloth, received a spear. Sources within his campaign team described the package as cultural symbols of readiness and authority.

Despite deployment and a heightened security presence that threatened his campaign trail, he moved to Kalagala Grounds for his rally.

He told his supporters that "the blessings" underscored his resolve to continue pressing for political change. “Uganda is facing many challenges that require unity and collective action,” he said.

But much of his journey to the rally was overshadowed by clashes between his supporters and security forces. After a lively 10-kilometre procession from Magere, near Kasangati, police and military units intensified deployments, repeatedly firing teargas to disperse crowds that formed along the route. Several youths were arrested.

Kyagulanyi accused the security forces of intimidation, saying he remained the only presidential candidate subjected to such restrictions.

“Everywhere we go, the people are clear about what they want. But I move amid teargas and bullets,” he said. He urged his supporters to remain hopeful and mobilise ahead of the 2026 election. “Help even the elderly to vote. Do not lose hope.”

He condemned what he described as the continued arrest of his supporters and called for restraint, noting that police provocations had in the past triggered confrontations. “We moved in peace today. Even when they blocked us from the main road, we did not fight,” he said.

If elected, Kyagulanyi listed his priorities to include: land grabbing and strengthening the health sector and increasing the number of ambulances. He said NUP, as a legally registered party, had a right to campaign in every part of the country.

Despite the disruptions, crowds in Mukono repeatedly regrouped to cheer him on, forcing security to deploy even more teargas as the convoy approached Kasawo and Kalagala Grounds, where his rallies were eventually held under tight surveillance.