Police Arrest Two NUP Youth Leaders Ahead of Gulu Regional Parliamentary Sitting

Police have arrested two National Unity Platform (NUP) youth leaders in Gulu City over an alleged planned protest against the upcoming regional Parliamentary sitting.

The arrests occurred on Monday morning at the NUP regional offices in Pece-Laroo Division, Gulu City, just a day before the scheduled Parliamentary session from August 28th to 30th at Kaunda Parade Grounds. The detained individuals have been identified as Samuel Okello Sebbi, also known as Sebastian Ogoni, 30, NUP Mobilizer for Northern Uganda, and Brian Jakisa Mungu, 32, NUP Coordinator for the Acholi Subregion.

Aswa West Police Spokesperson David Ongom Mudong stated that the suspects were found in possession of placards bearing inciting messages related to the Parliamentary sitting. The police have charged them with incitement to violence.

Mudong further revealed that the arrests were partially linked to an earlier case in which the suspects were accused of assault and incitement to violence. The suspects had reportedly been evading arrest since the alleged incidents.

According to the charge sheet obtained by Uganda Radio Network, Ogoni is charged with incitement to violence, as defined under Section 51(a) of the Penal Code Act, in connection with an incident on November 8, 2023, in Pece-Laroo Division. He allegedly used a public address system to incite violence with statements targeting the Balaalo community in Acholi land.

Jakisa Mungu faces charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 236 of the Penal Code Act. The police allege that on April 8, 2024, Mungu assaulted Emmanuel Pacoto at Forgod Center in Gulu City, causing bodily harm.

Mudong confirmed that the charges against the suspects have been sanctioned by the state attorney, and the suspects will appear in court soon. Meanwhile, the new charges related to the planned protest are still under police investigation.

Caesar Lubangakene, NUP Northern Region Spokesperson, criticized the arrests as politically motivated. He argued that the NUP members were preparing to address the press when they were arrested, and he accused law enforcement of undermining democratic principles, including freedom of expression and assembly.

The regional Parliamentary sittings, set to take place in the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Western regions of Uganda, have sparked controversy. Critics argue that the sittings, estimated to cost taxpayers 20 billion shillings in total, are an unnecessary financial burden. Earlier this month, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi announced that NUP members would boycott the sittings, labeling them a waste of public resources.