In an expected turn of events, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi known previously for hosting fiery rallies, last week called off his Western Uganda Tour in which he had planned to address a series of activities in different venues of the districts.
But for four days, Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine staged street processions in cities of Mbarara, Fort Portal, Kasese and Kabale, paralyzing traffic, bringing business to standstill as broadday looting and robbery took center stage.
Kyagulanyi had hoped his processions would be making headlines locally and internationally for as long as he traversed the region.
To his consternation, the publicity was thin on the local scene and nowhere in the foreign press. To him this was a huge loss, drawing his outrage to security agencies for not engaging his group into street battles rendering his international handlers idle since there was nothing to document about human rights violation during this Western Tour as a way of continuing to build a case against NRM government at ICC.
Information gathered shows Kyagulanyi had wanted to use the tour to expose police brutality which again he would use to seek more donor support, but Police stepped in his plans by responding with softness.
As a result, NUP with the advice of highly skilled communicators hired from international agencies concocted a fake assassination plan to use to abandon the tour.
But what was Kyagulanyi’s motive?
Information from National Unity Platform (NUP) insiders say the principal is so bitter like never before;
First, for overspending on ferrying hooligans to Western Uganda, failing to attract foreign media, failing to expose police high handedness and failing to attract followers.
Insiders at Kamwokya based NUP headquarters say Kyagulanyi who had been abroad with his right hand man Lewis Rubongoya collected “enough money” to facilitate this campaign.
Kyagulanyi left Kampala with a convoy of 9 cars with all occupants facilitated with shs 100,000 on a daily.
They assumed people would join the convoy and would surge into a sea of crowds and overwhelm security with violence.
The hooligans from Kampala had a role of looting, engaging security in street battles and in turn expose security as being brutal.
All this didn’t happen.
A calculative Kyagulanyi who after learning lacked crowds to address in the venues he had booked decided to paralyse town streets with processions, well knowing he was infringing on the business community.
For example, in Mbarara city a procession on high street lasted for 2 hours.
The high street is the business hub of Mbarara comprising hotels, shops, corporate offices and a main route to other major towns and neighbouring countries of DRC, Rwanda, Burundi.
No business was conducted in those two hours.
Question remains who is supposed to account for this loss?
Pundits contend that Kyagulanyi, to show his political might should have hosted his supporters in main stadiums of Kakyeka (Mbarara), Kabale Stadium, Fort Portal stadium and Kasese main grounds.
But he tactfully booked small venues of which he also eluded on learning that he would be addressing himself and the rented supporters from Kampala.
Political observers further say Kyagulanyi’s message is incoherent and doesn’t resonate with the common man but above all does not connect with the party’s manifesto.
As a biggest opposition party- NUP is the alternative government which must offer alternative solutions but instead the president Kyagulanyi keeps repeating what NRM has not done.
Meaning if NRM wakes up one morning and does everything Kyagulanyi will have no job.
After cutting short his Western Uganda Tour, Kyagulanyi and his master planner Rubongoya are back on the drawing board and have kicked off Eastern Uganda tour in Mayuge district.
But the aim of these tours is to provoke Police at whatever cost for accountability to secure more funds.
It has always been a norm for opposition leaders in Uganda to incite their fanatic supporters to attack security personnel seeking to be brutalized and use the brutality to seek more donor support.
