On Wednesday November 18, at midday, plumes of dark smoke emerged from Downtown Kampala, a place known for notoriety and hostility towards the regime.
In space of an hour, the smoke had spilled over the city and other neigbouring towns like Mukono, Jinja, Mpigi, Masaka and Iganga.
Uganda’s security agencies led by police were involved in street battles with rioters loyal to NUP’s Robert Kyagulanyi who protested his arrest in Luuka District, 200 kilometres from Kampala.
54 civilians died, 800 were arrested.
It took about 30 minutes for police to respond to the mayhem in Central Business District (CBD) and in some other parts of the city it took 1 hour.
Later, security operatives confessed that they had been caught unaware, prompting pundits to question whether intelligence gathering agencies are malfunctioning.
The rioters overwhelmed security with their high levels of organization and execution.
For example, it would take 30 seconds for a car carrying tyres to stop at a place of destination, tyres removed, bonfires lit as the car proceeds to next stop.
It was a well orchestrated crime.
NUPs loyalists disguising as yellow banana vendors
This website has reliably learnt of a pivotal role played by old women selling fruits and yellow bananas on the streets of Kampala who are loyal supporters of Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine.
In an independent investigation conducted by this website, the vendors (women) were alerted to prepare for action anytime.
“For a long time, and even days, these women would be seen talking to youthful boys whom they kept referring to as “abazukulu bange, batatani bange,” said a businessman who closely followed these old women and how they supported the rioters.
“Sometimes, they would give these boys fruits or yellow banana as lunch,” he added.
But they made sure, no one heard their secret conversation as they interacted.
This businessman operates along Arua Park and Kikubo areas. “My job requires me to move in that downtown all the time.”
On the fateful, these women changed their mode of operation. They didn’t move anywhere to follow customers, they sat in one position, tactfully on entrances of building or on the corners of the skyscrapers.
The logic was to quickly hide their “bazukulu an Batabani” who were involved in the riots.
“These old women had polythene bags.”
As riots intensified the rioters would be seen running to the vendors to pick these polythene bags.
It later emerged that the black and green polythene bags had clothes stuffed inside which the rioters used to change and freely mix with the civilians to elude arrest.
It turned out that some of these old women were hiding baskets full of yellow bananas and fruits which they gave to their ‘grandsons’ and ‘sons’ to disguise and vendors to evade security.
This is a clear indication that the riots had been well planned to involve a vulnerable group to aid rioters.
