Supporters of National Unity Platform (NUP) and security agencies were held in scuffles for the better part of the day and party leaders visited the Buganda Kingdom headquarters to buy the Kabaka’s run kit.
At around 11am, party leaders and supporters were already at their headquarters at Kavule-Makerere in Kampala where they held a brief update of how their movement would be as they accessed their destination which is a few kilometres out of the heart of the city.
Jumping onto their boda bodas and hopping into their cars, a convoy of motorists snaked out the party headquarters and headed for the northern bypass before they turned Sir Apollo Kagwa road near Makerere University. As they made their move, a melee ensued where police patrol cars and military police shrugged and lobbied teargas canisters towards the supporters.
The standoff lasted about 10 minutes before commands within the security changed and instead they started directing traffic which had swelled causing a gridlock.
At the Nakulabye roundabout, the convoy that had caused a one way on the roads took Balintuma road towards Mengo as the security slowly followed from behind the supporters wearing party paraphernalia and chanting NUP and People Power slogans.
At about 11:50am, the mammoth crowd arrived and thronged the gate at the headquarters of the Kingdom causing another scuffle. The security at Bulange-Mengo wanted to control the number of supporters entering into the compound and gave priority to the leaders. The supporters, however, overpowered the men in uniform and burst their way into the compound.
Led by the Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, mainly NUP MPs and councillors reigned over their supporters and controlled the would be stampede into the offices, They were then received by the Katikiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga who led them in and held with them a brief meeting where journalists were blocked from entering for over one hour.
The meeting was also attended by Ms Shamim Malende, the Kampala woman MP, Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake, NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya and Mr Fred Nyanzi the secretary for mobiliasation.
Upon ending the meeting, the group joined the larger number of MPs in the boardroom where NUP gave their contributions for the annual Kakaba birthday run which will be held on April 7, 2024.
“As the NUP, we have contributed to Buganda Shs21m and we shall continue to support all activities of the kingdom as a party,” Mr Ssenyonyi said briefly before they left.
At their time of departure, the police and other security agencies mounted roadblocks on all roads that led to the Central Business District indicating that commotion is something they were avoiding.
The chanting crowd was left to use the road that they had used while coming to the venue. But at the entrance to the bypass, there, ensued another standoff as the supporters threatened to take over the bypass and cause more traffic.
The team arrived at their offices at Kavule at about 3pm and made a brief meeting before they dispersed to their homes.
