Pressure and Defiance will not stop us – UPDF warns

The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) have warned politicians against the continued violation of Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Health Ministry and the Electoral Commission amidst the ongoing campaigns for 2021 elections.

While appearing on Uganda Broadcast Corporation (UBC) on Wednesday night. the UPDF Spokesperson Brig Flavia Byekwaso said No amount of pressure will stop the UPDF and other security forces us from doing the right thing despite the defiance and protests from civilians.

“If this defiance does not stop, we have a task to make sure that the laws are not flouted. We have not started implementing Covid-19 SOPs during the election period and we shall not stop,” warns Byekwaso.

Re-echoing bits of scientific truism, Brig Byekwaso said, “What happened on Wednesday is one of the things that are going to put the country at a high risk of the pandemic. It is so disheartening that the people who want to be leaders have not ‘appreciated’ what the country is going through.”

“No amount of pressure is going to bar us from doing the right thing,” Brig Byekwaso added.

Asked by show host Charles Odongtho – why security forces have kept a blind eye towards other massively attended political rallies, especially by the NRM supporters, Brig Byekwaso responded: “Two wrongs do not make it right. I was not there to see what Bebe Cool or Tanga Odoi did. They should be held responsible for what they did.”

Brig Byekwaso further explained the precedent set by the likes of Tanga Odoi and Bebe Cool should not set a leeway for aspiring leaders who want to have a health population.

In an attempt to justify events resulting from the Wednesday arrest of National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, “We started because they started,” she said.

“You know when you want to do something, you first warn. We cannot continue postponing it [arrest] after we have kept warning and warning you. That is why it had to happen yesterday,” Brig Byekwaso explained Mr Kyagulanyi’s arrest.  

Her remarks came just moments after her counterpart in Police, Mr Fred Enanga had uttered statements alluding to a Wednesday morning warning from the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

“IGP Martin Ochola indicated that we are coming up with tougher measures to start arresting,” Mr Enanga said, adding that, “these are normal operations.”

Bobi Wine is by press time still under detention at Nalufenya Police station with rumours that he will be brought to court later today.