Tension grips city
Nov 25, 2005
The city was tense as Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Dr. Kizza Besigye appeared at the High Court amid tight security.
By Steven Candia and Chris Kiwawulo
The city was tense as Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Dr. Kizza Besigye appeared at the High Court amid tight security.
The heightened security of Wednesday was stepped up with additional deployment of security personnel overnight to counter threats of demonstrations and riots and it paid off. The city was calm and the air devoid of bullets and teargas.
The city was saturated with the army, red top military police and regular policemen, armed with live ammunition and backed by Special Police constables.
In single file, armed with automatic rifles, some with chains of bullets all over them, they and the occasional military mambas, patrolled the streets, painting a picture of a city under siege.
The situation was not any different in most of the city suburbs, where soldiers, some armed with RPGs, patrolled in single file.
People went about their normal business but the characteristic bustle of the city on Thursdays was markedly absent.
Whereas most shops and offices opened, some did not, fearing an eruption of violence. However, it was business as usual in Kikuubo, a central business hub.
Two mambas were parked at the Pan African Square, two others at Wandegeya Police Station and another two on Sir Apollo Kagwa Road.
Police operations commissioner Godfrey Bangirana said there was nothing unusual about other agencies complementing them where necessary.
Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura was at the Central Police Station a stone’s throw from the High Court, to oversee the operations.
Ends
The city was tense as Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Dr. Kizza Besigye appeared at the High Court amid tight security.
The heightened security of Wednesday was stepped up with additional deployment of security personnel overnight to counter threats of demonstrations and riots and it paid off. The city was calm and the air devoid of bullets and teargas.
The city was saturated with the army, red top military police and regular policemen, armed with live ammunition and backed by Special Police constables.
In single file, armed with automatic rifles, some with chains of bullets all over them, they and the occasional military mambas, patrolled the streets, painting a picture of a city under siege.
The situation was not any different in most of the city suburbs, where soldiers, some armed with RPGs, patrolled in single file.
People went about their normal business but the characteristic bustle of the city on Thursdays was markedly absent.
Whereas most shops and offices opened, some did not, fearing an eruption of violence. However, it was business as usual in Kikuubo, a central business hub.
Two mambas were parked at the Pan African Square, two others at Wandegeya Police Station and another two on Sir Apollo Kagwa Road.
Police operations commissioner Godfrey Bangirana said there was nothing unusual about other agencies complementing them where necessary.
Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura was at the Central Police Station a stone’s throw from the High Court, to oversee the operations.
Ends