Shot Or Not? NUP And Police Give Conflicting Accounts Of Bobi’s Leg Injury
The National Unity Platform (NUP) party officials and the Uganda Police Force (UPF) are embroiled in a heated dispute over the alleged shooting of Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine.
On Tuesday evening, NUP officials claimed that Kyagulanyi had been shot in the leg by police in Bulindo, a township in the outskirts of Najjera and Kira suburbs. However, the police vehemently denied the allegations, insisting that there was no evidence to prove that their officers shot Kyagulanyi.
The incident occurred after Kyagulanyi attended a thanksgiving ceremony for NUP lawyer George Musisi, where police confronted him.
NUP officials took to social media to announce that Kyagulanyi had been shot, with a post signed by the administrator on Bobi’s official X account stating, “Our president Bobi Wine has been shot in the leg by police in Bulindo! He’s been rushed to hospital for urgent medical attention. We’ll keep the country updated on his situation.”
The post incited several social media users to spread the word further, which was echoed by Waiswa Mufumbiro, the party’s deputy spokesperson who stated, “manage the crowd, manage the crowd. He [Kyagulanyi] has been shot.”
Several international media outlets instantly picked up with the “he has been shot” version.
However, police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke denied the allegations, saying that Kyagulanyi was injured during a confrontation with police, but there was no evidence to suggest he was shot.
Rusoke explained that Kyagulanyi’s team had held a procession despite advice against it, leading to a fracas with police.
“The information we got from officers at that time was that they saw him stumbling while getting into his vehicle but on other hand, his team and a number of people said he was shot. What for us we are insisting on is that until we shall carry out an investigation, we are a professional body we can’t jump into any conclusion,” Rusoke said.
He said that during the incident, three police officers were injured and two police vehicles were damaged. Rusoke emphasized that police would not draw conclusions based on social media videos, but would instead, conduct a professional investigation to determine what happened.
Despite the police denial, Kyagulanyi’s team maintained that he had been shot until when the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Joel Ssenyonyi issued a statement on the X platform confirming that a medical x-ray at Nsambya Hospital had indicated that Kyagulanyi had been injured by a teargas canister, which had inflicted a wound on his leg.
Ssenyonyi stated that Kyagulanyi was out of danger but recommended “surgery” to remove the fragments stuck in his leg.
The incident has sparked a heated debate, with some accusing NUP officials and Kyagulanyi of seeking to use the situation to gain “political sympathy capital,” and help them “shoot another movie for financial gains.” Others have come out to defend Kyagulanyi, saying that the police version of events is not credible.
As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen how NUP will handle the likely damage caused by the initial sensational “he has been shot” statements shouted by the party deputy spokesperson.