CSOs condemn security raid on NUP Offices
Oct 19, 2020
Sarah Bireete, the Executive Director at Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), said that raids at opposition political party office has become a trend of security agencies.
POLITICS | CSOs
Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in Uganda has condemned the joint security raid on the National Unity Platform (NUP) offices in Kamwokya.
On Wednesday, a contingent made up of personel from the army, police, Local Defence Unit, and police fire brigade raided the NUP offices. The operation was also extended to the city centre where they were targeting illegal manufacture, supply, distribution, sale, and use of uniforms and paraphernalia whose ownership designs were gazetted and is preserved for the armed force.
Sarah Bireete, the Executive Director at Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), said that raids at opposition political party office has become a trend of security agencies.
"Most of the parties are usually raided before their nomination day," Bireete notes. She was speaking to journalists at the National NGO forum offices in Kabalagala.
She said that NUP isn't the first political entity to be raided by security agencies, explaining that back in 2015, the police raided John Patrick Amama Mbabazi's Go Forward party and later Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and several agents and party members were arrested," she revealed.
Police is causing panic among the people that are challenging the incumbents for both the parliamentary and presidential seat, Bireete said.
"The EC has the mandate to discharge a fee and fair election but they are failing to ensure free participation of the stakeholders, then Byabakama should resign," Bireete said.
She further said that the army and all other security agencies should be under the supervision of the EC especially during the election period.
Fr. Constantine Mbonabingi, the Executive secretary of New You (New-U) a national election watch said the raid on the NUP offices is an encroachment on the rights to freedom, assembly, association, expression and assault on the multiparty system which Uganda adopted following the 2005 referendum.