NAMUTUMBA, Uganda — Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, told supporters in eastern Uganda that the high rate of police brutality is directly tied to poor welfare, promising major salary reforms for security forces if his government is elected.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) leader used a rally in Namutumba to argue that low pay and stress are underlying factors in heavy-handedness during demonstrations.
“These people sometimes beat us during demonstrations because they are hungry and stressed,” Kyagulanyi said. “They deserve better in the new Uganda. We are truthful in our call for change.”
Kyagulanyi pledged that under his administration, police and soldiers would receive a minimum monthly salary of 1 million shillings (approximately $270). This contrasts with the current pay, where entry-level Police Constables earn nearly 560,000 shillings, and first-line soldiers earn slightly over 600,000 shillings.
By focusing on welfare for the police and army, Kyagulanyi aims to project NUP as a movement capable of governance and not just protest.
“Our Uganda will be one of justice and equity, a Uganda where even uniformed officers are proud of the country they defend,” he said.
The rally also featured defections from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) to NUP. NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya mocked the NRM, saying its supporters were frustrated by being “chauffeured in an old bus without tyres or windows.” The gathering concluded with chants of “People Power, Our Power.”
(pml daily)