President Yoweri Museveni has warned that those attacking the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party supporters will regret it because the party is capable of responding in the same measure.
Museveni said this during one of his campaigns in Karamoja region where he is camped searching for votes ahead of next year’s presidential elections.
“Those who have been attacking NRM people in Kampala will soon lose that appetite. You will see a uniform for NRM on the roadside and you will not touch it. They have entered an area of fighting we know very well. Whoever started it will regret,” Museveni who is also the NRM presidential candidate said.
He added, “Some of these groups are used by outsiders who don’t like the stability and the independence of Uganda but they will discover what they are looking for. They should not divert us because we are moving on well with handling the virus. Now there is talk of a vaccine and we are working hard there. We may even get a cure. So, our people should keep safe until there is a solution to the virus.”
His comments follow two days of deadly riots in Uganda’s capital, Kampala and other surrounding towns, sparked of by the arrest of his now erstwhile rival and presidential candidate, Robert Kyafulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine.
According to police, the riots that appeared to target NRM supporters, have claimed the lives of three people though local reports say 29 people died.
Bobi Wine was arrested for reportedly violating campaign procedures put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“We are here in this, campaigning indirectly where we aren’t holding rallies for the sake of protecting our people from more infections. We have lost several people already including two Members of Parliament and some scientists. It is therefore criminal for anybody to ignore this and we are not going to tolerate it. Everybody must respect the rules of the Ministry of Health,” Museveni said.