UgandaToday: The Only Instance When Ugandan Police Exhibited Professionalism
By Uganda Today
Uganda’s electoral season has increasingly been marred by violent clashes between security forces and supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP). Amid this chaotic trend, one unusual CCTV-recorded moment has caught national attention—an incident showing a police officer demonstrating extraordinary restraint and skill while handling a reckless NUP supporter on a motorcycle. It has been widely circulated as the only instance when Ugandan police exhibited professionalism during the current campaign trail.
A Moment of Skill Amid Chaos
The footage, believed to have been captured along the Mukono–Katosi Road, where NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) commanded massive crowds, shows police struggling to regulate the chaotic procession.
In the video, an overzealous supporter riding a motorcycle speeds dangerously toward a police officer who had stepped forward to guide him to the safer side of the road. Instead of complying, the rider accelerates directly toward the officer in an apparent attempt to intimidate or force him aside.
With remarkable calmness and athletic dexterity, the officer spreads his legs and positions himself so the motorcycle’s front tyre passes neatly between them. He then grips both handlebars, somersaults over the motorcycle, and lands behind it—uninjured.
Spectators gasp. The officer, unfazed, returns to directing the crowd.
For many Ugandans, this single acrobatic moment stands out as a rare case where restraint—not violence—defined a police encounter.
A Troubling Pattern Overshadowing Campaigns
Despite this isolated gesture of professionalism, the broader conduct of police and military officers throughout Kyagulanyi’s campaign has raised deep public concern. Critics argue that NUP is not competing against other presidential candidates, but against the security forces themselves.
Iganga: The Night of Gunfire and Tragedy
One of the most disturbing incidents occurred in Iganga District, where, according to eyewitnesses and local leaders, police and UPDF personnel stormed a dispersing Kyagulanyi rally last week.
Attendees who were peacefully exiting the venue were met with live bullets and tear gas. In the chaos,Misaaki Okello was instantly shot dead, and Three others sustained severe injuries.
The attack sparked nationwide outrage, with many questioning whether security agencies still operate within legal or ethical boundaries.
A Trail of Orchestrated Brutality
Kyagulanyi’s campaign trail reads like a catalogue of state-orchestrated confrontations:
1. Bwizibwera Ambush
NUP’s convoy was blocked without warning, forcing supporters to scramble for safety as police used tear gas and batons to arrest and molesting 100 of them including stripping women.
2. Mbarara Clampdown
Supporters were beaten indiscriminately as police insisted Kyagulanyi’s presence was “disruptive,” despite earlier clearance.
3. Kayunga Tensions
Military trucks stormed venues shortly before Kyagulanyi’s arrival, triggering panic and leaving dozens injured.
4. Masaka Road Violent Dispersal
Security forces fired tear gas into vehicles carrying supporters, including women and elderly persons.
5. The Katonga–Mpigi Skirmishes
Police used nail-spiked barricades on the road, puncturing tyres and endangering passengers.
6. Yesterday’s Luweero Assault
Just hours before the CCTV video surfaced, police again violently broke up a NUP rally in Luweero, arresting dozens and leaving several injured.
These incidents have cumulatively painted a picture of systematic suppression rather than crowd control—fueling the view that security forces are targeting a single political group.
Public Anger and the Question of Accountability
Civil society organisations, lawyers, and rights defenders have condemned what they call a deliberate strategy to disrupt NUP’s mobilization efforts. Many argue that the professionalism shown by the unnamed police officer in Mukono only underscores how violent and unnecessary the majority of other engagements have been.
As one activist put it:
“If police can show restraint in one moment, it means they choose brutality in the others.”
A Nation Watching
With elections fast approaching, the conduct of security forces remains under intense scrutiny. Ugandans continue to ask whether the professionalism briefly displayed in Mukono can be institutionalized—or whether it will remain a lonely exception in a season overshadowed by fear, grief, and the unchecked force of state machinery.
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