Rukiga District NUP Coordinator Emmanuel Turyasingura Arrested

Emmanuel Turyasingura, the coordinator for the National Unity Platform-NUP party in-charge of Rukiga district has been arrested. Turyasingura was arrested on Wednesday by police at his home in Muhanga town council.

Derrick Katebire Mugyesera, the NUP party secretary-general for Kigezi region says that the police under the command of Asaph Ampeire, the Officer-in-Charge of Criminal Investigations at Muhanga police station raided the home of Turyasingura and arrested him without giving any explanation.

Katebire says that the police also searched Turyasingura’s room and confiscated the party’s register, calendars, NUP’s presidential flag bearer Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine’s campaign posters and the party’s identity cards among other documents. Katebire says that Turyasingura was taken to Muhanga police station where he is currently detained.

Ampeire declined to comment on the matter and referred our reporter to the District Police Commander Ismaat Patrick Albert.

However, Ismaat said that he is not aware of any NUP coordinator’s arrest because he is still on the way to returning from Kampala for official duties.

Turyasingura’s arrest comes days after Kyagulanyi rallied all Ugandans to peacefully demonstrate against National Resistance Movement-NRM party presidential flag bearer Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s victory. Kyagulanyi claims that he garnered 54% and not the 35% allocated to him by the Electoral Commission.

Turyasingura is not the first NUP coordinator in Rukiga district to be arrested by police. On December 8th 2020, Katebire was arrested for allegedly attempting to hold a demonstration in Kabale town. On November 3, 2020, Katebire was again arrested for planning a procession to celebrate the nomination of Kyagulanyi.