KAYUNGA
Security operatives on Friday night raided the home of Patrick Nsanja in Kirindi Village, Nazigo Sub-county, Kayunga District, in a search for National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The operation, which residents said occurred at about 10:00pm, reportedly involved armed personnel who forced their way into the legislator’s residence. Nsanja was not at home at the time of the incident.
Vivian Namakobe, Nsanja’s sister, said the security personnel found family members seated in the sitting room before demanding to know Kyagulanyi’s location.
“They forced themselves into the house and found us in the sitting room. They asked whether we knew where Bobi Wine is. We explained that we did not know his whereabouts,” she said.
Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, reportedly left his home on January 16, a day after the presidential elections. Since the polls, security forces have maintained heavy deployment around his residence.
On January 23, security operatives raided his home, amid allegations that his wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi, was assaulted during the operation. However, the Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, dismissed the assault claims, although he acknowledged that security forces had conducted a raid.
Following the search at Nsanja’s home, the soldiers reportedly proceeded to a nearby entertainment spot, HD Sports Bar, where revellers were ordered out before live bullets were fired into the air.
Stephen Mutsyaba, the area LC1 chairman, said the incident caused panic among residents.
“They forced people out of the bar and fired bullets in the air,” Mutsyaba said.
In an interview, Nsanja, a close ally of Kyagulanyi who campaigned with him across the country, denied any knowledge of the NUP leader’s location.
“I honestly don’t know where he is. Security is closely monitoring my movements and phone calls,” Nsanja said.
In the recently concluded presidential election, Kyagulanyi finished second after polling 2,741,238 votes (24.7 per cent). He rejected the results, citing alleged irregularities including ballot stuffing, malfunctioning Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK), voter intimidation and military involvement in the electoral process.
By press time, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) had not yet commented on the reported raid.
