The Inspector-General of Police Martin Okoth Ochola has canceled the Independence Day music show of the Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine.
Mr. Ochola in his letter dated October 2, but released on Tuesday to Kampala Metropolitan Police, said Kyagulanyi did not consider the plans for medical care, traffic control, crowd control, and security.
“This serves to inform you that the notice to the Inspector General of Police has remarkable deficiencies, which do not guarantee the lawfulness, safety, security for the public and organizers,” part of the letter reads.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesman, Patrick Onyango, quoting Ochola’s letter said police in Kampala won’t be in a position to provide adequate security since police officers will be at the Independence Day celebrations in Sironko and other authorized venues.
Bobi Wine had scheduled a music show dubbed Osobola at his One Love Beach in Busabala, Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality in Wakiso District on October 9, 2019.
As police announced the cancellation of the Bobi Wine concert, the singer turned politician was doing rehearsals at his music studio at Fire Base in Kamwokya.
He said he had not received any letter from police stopping his concert and would proceed with the concert as planned.
“We shall be in Busabala, that’s where we spend our time mostly on holidays and we have a concert there. We have our own security as police’s mandate is to protect all Ugandans,” Bobi Wine said.
“Regretfully, therefore, the staging of the said concert cannot be allowed to proceed until the concerns raised above are satisfactorily addressed,” Mr. Ochola added in the letter.
My home in Magere is yet again under police and military siege! At about 11:00 pm last night, they surrounded my home in Magere as well as One Love Beach Busabala, in another move to place me under house arrest and block our Independence Day music concert. The 156th concert so far!
These are the same people who claimed not to have enough security to secure our people at the show. Yet, they have enough manpower to instill fear, harass citizens and block the show!
These cowardly actions must be resisted and condemned by all democratic forces. President Museveni has been attending concerts of his praise singers. The greatest level of hypocrisy is to say that when you sing praises for his dictatorship on stage, you’re not doing politics and when you oppose his regime of blood and national shame, then you’re doing politics and your concert will be blocked with impunity.
Recently, President Museveni went ahead to register himself as a musician in another futile attempt to counter Bobi Wine. If he wants to compete with us musically, it should be fair play. Let the population decide who they want to listen to. THIS IS OUR COUNTRY, and friends, we shall certainly overcome.
#OsobolaKuIndependence
Onyango said police won’t allow an event that has fallen short of the guidelines as outlined by IGP to take place.
He urged the public not to waste time going to Busabala because the event will not take place.
On April 22, 2019, police also stopped Bobi Wine concert on grounds that he had not met the laid procedures.
Field Force Unit (FFU) officers unleashed brutality in foiling Bobi Wine Busabala concert in April where his car windows were smashed with a hammer and he was pepper-sprayed.
More than 125 music concerts for Bobi Wine have been canceled since he joined politics as Kyadondo East MP in May 2017.