NUP Creates Emergency Response Unit to Treat Causalities from Campaign Frontline

  The National Unity platform-NUP has created its Emergency Response Unit to treat to victims of injuries sustained during encounters of Presidential Candidate Robert Kyagulanyi’s campaigns team with security forces.   

     The unit that relies on donated supplies and logistics is mobilizing it’s supporters within the country and diaspora to generate funds that can support scores of party supporters who are nursing injuries in different  hospitals across the country.         

According to Dr Joel Mirembe the head of NUP's professional’s wing, the idea of creating the unit came after only the two days of presidential nominations in Kyambogo and manifesto launch in Mbarara in which more than 20 party leaders and supporters were badly injured by security agencies. 

  On Tuesday last week, after Kyagulanyi’s nominations, several of his supporters were arrested while other leaders sustained injuries including NUP spokesman Joel Ssenyonyi and Dr Lina Zedriga the northern Region NUP president in a scuffles when police was preventing Kyagulanyi from going to Kamwokya to launch his manifesto.     

Later NUP was forced to launch their manifesto in Mbarara. However, on the return journey to Kampala a number of Kyagulanyi’s team members were knocked by a speeding security vehicle around Busega on the northern bypass. 

At least ten NUP  Bobi-Wine diehards of 'Busabala Best Army' and outriders of the pro-Kyagulanyi diehard groups were severely injured that night.          

    Dr Mirembe, says among the victims, there are two members who are currently admitted in Mulago hospital still in critical condition, these are Ssewanyana Muhammad who sustained a blunt chest trauma with hemothorax and his colleague only identified as Ssempijja who sustained a fractured leg.             

Now Mirembe says the formation of the emergency response unit will help in lobbying funds from all their well-wishers to support such people who each need more than 10 million shillings to foot their medical bills but also supporting their families.   

//Cue:" we have set up this unit...   Cue...over twenty people".//     

  Muhammad Ssegirinya who is the Minister of disaster preparedness in NUP said some of the members and well-wishers who has been contributing in party fundraising dives have started giving them money to support the two members who are in critical conditions.  

  //Cue:" abaana abo...   Cue... okusonda "//.    

He condemns the continued acts of brutality done on them as opposition members by security agencies that repeatedly leave many of their colleagues moving on crutches while the rest have lost lives.    

  //Cue:"we condemn police brutality...   Cue... banaffe"//.      

   Sources in NUP has indicated that several party members were also injured on the first day of the presidential campaigns in West Nile districts of Pakwach, Nebbi and Arua, Kitgum and Pader on the first day of Kyagulanyi’s campaigns.