Police Speaks out on raid at NUP offices, they were looking for military outfits

The raid on National Unity Platform, NUP head offices was due to continued use of government stores by members of the party, police and UPDF have confirmed.

Addressing the press at the Central Police Station in Kampala, Fred Enanga the police spokesperson said the joint leadership of armed forces received complaints that many youths wear clothes that can be likened to the military attire.

Enanga said the civilians (youths, celebrities, political fanatics) were illegally wearing armed uniforms which are an exclusive reserve of the armed forces.

“Several political youth groups, celebrities always outfitted in berets, marching uniforms, camouflage fatigues, others were even using handcuffs and boots similar to those of the armed forces. This is where we had to come up because it was more like a usurpation of the legitimate law enforcement and military functions which is a violation of the law” Enanga said.

He noted that when such groups in military fatigue, they may involve in crime and be mistaken for members of the armed forces by the other members of the public.

Police raided the People Power offices and confiscated the uniforms in an operation that was aired live on social media.

The NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi said their offices had been broken into and important documents traken by police. Kyagulanyi was meeting a group of youths before the raid started.

“We are not in a democracy. We are in a war against a dictatorship. We are here speaking while they break our gate” Kyagulanyi said.

Unlike in many operations in the past, the media were allowed to film some of the proceedings. Police left with all party uniforms found in the stores.