Kasambya County MP Daudi Kabanda has accused the National Unity Platform presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine of making statements that could ignite violence between supporters and the Uganda Police Force. The MP claimed that the opposition candidate had urged Ugandans to rise up and overwhelm security forces.
Kabanda told Parliament on Tuesday that leaders must take responsibility for rising political tension across the country. He said that several videos showed the NUP presidential candidate assuring supporters that police and the UPDF did not exceed fifty thousand officers while Uganda had forty seven million citizens. According to Kabanda the candidate allegedly encouraged supporters to rise and overrun the forces. Kabanda questioned whether the remarks aligned with the Constitution or constituted deliberate attempts to break the law.
The MP further claimed that NUP leaders including Hon Lutamaguzi had also been captured on camera encouraging the public in a similar direction. Kabanda insisted that the videos existed and that he was prepared to present them if given time.
The accusations triggered an immediate and sharp response from the Leader of the Opposition and NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi. Ssenyonyi rose on the floor demanding that Kabanda table evidence to support what he described as heavy sounding allegations. He argued that claims of encouraging citizens to attack police officers were extremely serious and must be backed with factual proof.
Ssenyonyi reminded Parliament that NUP had consistently advocated for the protection of men and women in uniform. He said that the opposition had even promised better pay for security officers. He questioned how the party could then be accused of urging citizens to attack security forces. Ssenyonyi insisted that if Kabanda could not table the evidence then he should withdraw the statements.
The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among intervened saying she had not heard the entire statement made by Kabanda. She said she needed to hear the full accusation before directing the MP to provide proof. She noted that such allegations were capable of destabilizing the country and must be handled with seriousness.
Kabanda insisted that the videos existed. He said that the same NUP presidential candidate had publicly encouraged young people to use social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube to study events in places such as Nepal and use similar methods to overthrow the government outside the constitutional framework. Kabanda described the alleged statements as extremely dangerous and requested twenty minutes to retrieve and present the videos to Parliament.
Speaker Among agreed and gave him twenty minutes. She warned that allegations of this nature could bring the country down if not properly managed. She said Parliament would not allow Uganda to be destabilized by individuals seeking political advantage. She instructed Kabanda to table the evidence for the House to examine.
The clash ended with the Speaker awaiting the promised video evidence while the Opposition maintained that the allegations were baseless unless proven. The matter is expected to return to the floor once Kabanda tables his submissions.