TRAINING REBELS? Noise as Police Summons Bobi Wine’s NUP Officials Over Leadership School

Weeks after Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine launched the National Unity Platform (NUP) Leadership School, police has summoned party officials to explain. A top party official hopes the law and order agency is not planning to link the NUP leadership school to rebels or subversive activities.

On June 28, SCP Moses Kafeero Kabugo, the Director of Human Resource Development and Training of Uganda Police, on behalf of police chief IGP Abbas Byakagaba, wrote to NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, summoning him for a meeting at Uganda Police Force (UPF) headquarters to clarify on activities of the NUP School of Leadership.

Kafeero told SG Rubongoya that he feels “it is in the best interest” of the law and order agency “to ascertain the status of the school, content taught and facilitators.” The meeting is expected to happen today at the police HQ in Naguru Kampala at 10am.

NUP has said their team will go to Naguru to interact with Kafeero and his group at the police HQ.  Worried that the summons could be meant “to illegally block and frustrate our activities,” the party wondered why the police was picking interest in their leadership school yet other parties including President Yoweri Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) always train their leaders and members.

The party has made it clear that they do not offer any accredited courses or programs or courses leading to awarding of academic qualifications. Participants, the party has further noted, will be given certificates of attendance or participation.

The country’s main opposition political party also explained that, generally, the training content for its members and leaders will be about the NUP values, principles and objectives, and its leaders will facilitate the trainings.

NUP is also concerned about the directorate’s powers to summon party officials over a training school. “In any case, it should not be the business of Uganda Police – to regulate lawful, internal activities of political parties, such as our school of leadership,” noted NUP.

“The stated mandate of the Training and Human Resources department of Uganda Police is to ‘establish appropriate human resource policies that enhance the performance of the Uganda Police Force.’ Since we are not training police officers, we do not understand that department’s role in purporting to regulate activities of political parties!”

SG Rubongoya, who will be leading the team going to police HQ, has expressed worry that police could be plotting to link the NUP Leadership School with rebel or subversive activities.

“Hopefully, before long, they won’t say NUP is training rebels or involved in subversive activities! One wonders what the director for training in Police has to do with a leadership school of a political party!” noted Rubongoya.

“We’ve not seen them pick interest in the trainings of other parties. Authoritarian regimes have always been very scared about any effort to educate the people!”

The Pearl Times has previously reported on what the NUP Leadership School will be teaching its students HERE.