LIRA CITY – Tensions flared in Lira City on Saturday as over 300 agitated National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters demonstrated and marched to the Central Police Station (CPS), demanding the immediate transfer of the District Police Commanders (DPCs) for the city’s East, West, and Central divisions.
The protest, led by local NRM leaders, was sparked by allegations that the three senior police officials held a clandestine midnight meeting with the UPC flag bearer for the Lira City Woman Member of Parliament seat, Betty Amongi Ongom, who also serves as the Minister for Gender, Labour, and Social Development.
Addressing the crowd before the march, Lira City West NRM Chairperson, Tonny Olipa, claimed that Minister Amongi met with the DPCs for more than three hours in a session that began at 10:00 PM and ended at 1:00 AM. "Our supporters are annoyed. What were they discussing at night for that long? We demand answers," Olipa stated, reflecting the group's suspicion.
Chanting slogans and waving placards, the demonstrators stormed the CPS compound, with some shouting demands to see the DPC in person, while others insisted he must be transferred out of Lira City immediately. They expressed fear that the police commanders were aligning with Minister Amongi, a political opponent in the upcoming elections, to undermine the NRM's activities.
The situation was calmed when the Lira City Central Police Station Commander, SSP Apollo Kyangungu, came out to address the charged crowd. However, his attempts to speak were met with defiance, and the supporters chose to disperse shortly after his appearance.
Speaking to journalists afterward, SSP Kyangungu confirmed that he indeed met with Minister Amongi but dismissed allegations of political collusion. He explained that the minister was following up on two individuals who had been arrested by police for allegedly registering people using national IDs unlawfully.
“It is true I met the minister because she was following up on two people police had arrested. We arrested the two suspects for registering people using their national IDs. When the NRM supporters heard that we were holding them, they thought I was releasing them, yet it is not the case,” Kyangungu clarified.
He urged the public to allow due process and assured that the police were acting within the law. Despite the commander's explanation, the incident has heightened political tensions in the city, with NRM leaders vowing to continue pushing for the transfer of the DPCs, whom they accuse of compromising political neutrality.
