By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Investigation will be launched into reports that prominent opposition figure Bobi Wine and his supporters were beaten at a campaign rally for the January presidential election, Uganda’s national police service said on Monday, a torture in which its officers were accused of complicit.
Wine, the presidential candidate of National Unity Platform in posts on X Saturday that security forces had hit him in the face with a cane and that other supporters at the rally in the northern city of Gulu had been rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Wine, 43 a former musician whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is seen as 81-year-old veteran President Yoweri Museveni’s main challenger in the January 15 presidential poll.
“Reports of some officers caning civilians during the event have been received. These actions are regrettable, undesirable and unfortunate,” the police said on their website.
“Any actions found to be inconsistent with agreed standards of behaviour will be investigated, and appropriate action should be taken against any officer found responsible.”
Wine’s party, the NUP alleges that Museveni’s government regularly detains, kidnaps and tortures its members.
Authorities deny the allegations, saying the security forces only detain people on the basis of legitimate suspicions that they have committed crime.
The electoral commission on Monday urged police to investigate “confrontations” at the rally in Gulu and exercise restraint.
