Kyagulanyi's wife rallies for women empowerment

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS

The wife of National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential flagbearer Robert Kyagulanyi joined him for his campaign rally in Kyankwanzi on Friday, urging action on the part of men in the context of uplifting women in society,

This was the first of three rallies scheduled for Kyagulanyi on the day, with the others being Kiboga and Kassanda.

Rallying NUP supporters at Bikoma Primary School in Butemba sub county, Barbie Kyagulanyi urged men to empower the women in their lives for development.

Kyagulanyi stood on top of his vehicle, arms folded, as his wife addressed the rally on a warm Friday.

After that stop-over, the Kyagulanyi team proceeded to Kiboga district for another rally, before wrapping up his day in Kassanda.

'Stop harassing me'

"Contesting for the presidency is not a crime. Stop harrasing me. The world is watching you and you will dearly pay for it," an infuriated Kyagulanyi told a Police chief Thursday night.

This was after the officer told the NUP leader that he was not allowed lodging in Nakasongola.

Kyagulanyi, who had campaigned in Kiryandongo Thursday evening, was first blocked from going back to Hoima for lodging.

He ended up sleeping inside his car att Tyra fuelling station in Migyera, Nakasongola district.

On Friday morning, before for his campaigns in Kyankwanzi, Kiboga and Kassanda districts, Kyagulanyi called for calm among his supporters.

"Stay calm and avoid doing anything that will portray us in bad light," he implored.

The day before, while campaigning in Kiryandongo, Kyagulanyi said once elected president, he will change the Police name from Uganda Police Force to Uganda Police Services.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has since urged Police to restrain themselves from blocking presidential candidates from accessing the officially designated venues for their campaigns.

 In a statement released Thursday evening, EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama, noted: "Presidential candidates have a right to move and access the designated campaign venues and hold their campaign meetings in compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued by the Electoral Commission."

 EC's statement comes after Police blocked Kyagulanyi's rallies in Hoima, Kibaale and Masindi.

A collective commitment

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and other parties in the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) committed to promoting a peaceful and non-violent electoral process.

The commitment came in the aftermath of the riots that disrupted some parts of the country last week following the arrest of Kyagulanyi on his campaign trail in Luuka district. The NUP leader was slapped with charges related to undermining the electoral guidelines meant to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

After spending two days at Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja district, he was granted bail by the Iganga Chief Magistrates Court, allowing him to resume his campaigns - but with stern warning from the court that granted him freedom to adhere to the electoral directives.

According to the Police, the violence left about 50 people dead and several others injured.

Also on Thursday, the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) asked the Electoral Commission to reconsider a restriction that bars a candidate's meeting of more than 200 supporters during the ongoing campaigns.

Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Samuel Kaziimba, who led IRCU, told reporters after the meeting that the Electoral Commission and the government should allow maximum sitting based on the number of square metres in a given venue, rather than a fixed number of supporters.

Recently, the Electoral Commission, on the advice of the health ministry, directed all candidates to hold campaign meetings in a regulated manner, preferably virtual, with limited attendance of not more than 200 from the earlier 70, to enable the observance of the two-metre social distancing rule for the attendees.