Tension has risen in Kampala in the past couple of hours following the arrest of leading opposition FDC party leaders Dr. Kizza Besigye and Gen. Mugisha Muntu. Dr. Besigye is among the seven people who are challenging President Yoweri Museveni in yesterday’s yet-to-be concluded presidential elections.
According to our reporter Gabriel Buule who was this morning at the FDC Tally Centre at Najjanankumbi which is also the Headquarters, the arrest of the FDC party leaders sparked unrest among Besigye’s supporters in surrounding areas.
The police stopped vehicles from using the section of Entebbe road that passes by the FDC offices.
Outcomes of yesterday’s presidential and parliamentary elections released by the Electoral Commission show that Besigye has garnered strong support including from some of Museveni’s traditional strongholds such as Rukungiri district and Mbarara district.
Buule reports that Police fired tear gas and live bullets to stop people from gathering near the FDC offices. Besigye and Muntu were reportedly whisked away to an unknown location in a black car.
The Sunrise understands that Besigye was later driven to his home in Kasangati but remains under tight police blockade.
Buule reports that the FDC party leadership was preparing to announce some results of yesterday’s presidential elections. According to our reporter, the FDC team had gathered results at their tally centre that failed to tally with those released by the EC.
Meanwhile, some media reports show that the tension has forced many people to close their shops around the central business district to safeguard their properties and lives.
Our reporter however informs us that a group of highly armed men dressed in Police-like fatigue and wearing black facial masks have been moving around the FDC offices on vehicles without registration plates.
Similarly dressed men were yesterday sighted around Ggaba as the police tried to stop people from protesting delays by the Electoral Commission to deliver voting materials.
Meanwhile, the Police and the army have deployed heavily around the National Tally Centre at Namboole. Police has told reporters there that the heavy deployment is meant to boost security to the crucial vote tallying process by EC officials following unconfirmed reports that some opposition supporters were planning to attack the Tally centre.
The US Embassy in Kampala has also released reports that the Police and the army have been trying to clear Kampala streets of people. The Embassy advised American citizens to stay at their homes.
Former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi has also posted on his Twitter account that military men had started arresting people outside his residence in Kololo, an upscale Kampala suburb.
This is a developing story but The Sunrise will keep you posted as soon as new developments emerge.
