With nearly a fortnight to the swearing-in ceremony of Uganda’s President-elect, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on May 12, the army has strongly cautioned individuals intending to disrupt the event not to dare, or else face the consequences.
The warning has been issued by the Defence spokesperson, Brig Gen Flavia Byekwaso on Monday in a security press briefing at police headquarters in Naguru.
Armed with posters and placards with writings threatening to block President Museveni from swearing in and others propagating tribal sentiments and hate speech, Byekwaso revealed that they have information that individuals behind the disruptions are backed by foreigners to cause chaos and anarchy in the country, something the army will not tolerate.
“I would like to bring to your attention the continued hate speech by a section through the help of foreigners. Recently, they are saying they are going to interrupt the swearing-in of the president-elect come 12th May 2021. We are all aware that the president of the Republic of Uganda has warned against tribalism and sectarianism,” said the Defence spokesperson.
“As security forces, we will fight negative propaganda. Any person who stands in the way of peace will be dealt with decisively. Ugandans are urged to desist from such because they are not productive. We urge those who are planning for such to stop because we are aware and know where they are,” she added.
The posters according to security were confiscated during one of the operations in the capital, kampala.
The Electoral Commission conducted Presidential Elections on Thursday 14th January 2021 which had eleven candidates and later declared Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa Kaguta winner with 6,042,898 votes (58.38%). He was followed by Kyagulanyi Robert Sentamu who garnered 3,631,437 votes (35.08%) but the former rejected the results on allegations of vote rigging and intimidating. He ran to the supreme court and later withdrew the case citing lack of independence of the judiciary before resorting to what he referred to as public court.
Kyagulanyi in one of the addresses to his party elected leaders said that Yoweri Museveni was to cease being president of Uganda in one month, something that has not come to pass. It is not clear whether he has connections with those threatening to disrupt the forthcoming swearing-in.
