Erias Lukwago, the Kampala Lord Mayor and Vice President for Buganda Region in the Opposition Forum For Democratic Change (FDC), addressed recent events at the party headquarters during a political talk show on Thursday night.
He stated that the “goons” responsible for causing havoc at the party headquarters were procured by individuals associated with him. Lukwago emphasized that intelligence and connections play a significant role in the city’s operations.
Despite rumors claiming he incites violence wherever he goes, Lukwago strongly denied such allegations, stating his aversion to violence. He pointed out that recent events at the party headquarters, though regrettable, vindicate him.
The incident at the party headquarters involved the FDC Party Chairman being allegedly held captive for a considerable part of the day. Party General Secretary Nathan Nandala Mafabi dismissed reports suggesting he and the Party chairman organized the group of goons responsible for the chaos.
Nandala refuted claims of his involvement in organizing the violence and expressed regret over the mistreatment of journalists during the incident. He accused the Party Chairman of engineering the situation to attract public and media sympathy.
The pandemonium erupted when the Party Chairman attempted to deliver a press conference, resulting in journalists being roughed up and Birigwa, the Chairman, being shut out of the office premises, and later allegedly trapped inside. Eventually, Birigwa was seen scaling down the FDC office fence after several hours.
Nandala asserted that he was not present at the premises during the incident and called for a thorough investigation into the violence. He questioned the Chairman’s presence at the party headquarters on that particular day and accused him of hiring the goons responsible for the chaos.
Mafabi, the Party General Secretary, also distanced himself from any involvement in organizing violence and stated that he had not instructed anyone to harm anyone in Najjanankumbi, the location of the party headquarters.