By Aggrey Baba
There was panic and unease at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) on Thursday morning after Twaha Abdul Chaggason, the National Unity Platform (NUP) councilor representing Nakawa B, dramatically pulled a small red axe out of his bag after a council sitting, saying he carries it for his personal safety.
The opposition councilor said he had taken the unusual step in response to what he described as “growing threats and insecurity” orchestrated by NRM-aligned groups, who he claims are targeting the opposition.
“I move with this axe now because those yellow-wearing goons are after us,” the NUP councilor said, referring to gangs that have recently caused chaos in the city while wearing yellow T-shirts, the official color of the NRM. “We won’t just sit back and wait to be slaughtered.”
His remarks come on the heels of a wave of violent incidents which happened last week on the day president Museveni picked nomination forms, where groups of men in yellow shirts were captured on video robbing and beating people in several parts of Kampala, sparking outrage and a police crackdown that led to multiple arrests.
What shocked many was the revelation that the suspects, during interrogations, confessed to being NRM mobilisers. Their admissions contradicted earlier claims by some senior NRM figures who had alleged that the chaos was the work of opposition groups trying to discredit President Museveni and tarnish the ruling party’s image.
But the confusion turned into political embarrassment when Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, head of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), publicly acknowledged knowing several of the arrested individuals.
Namyalo said the suspects were indeed part of the NRM mobilization structure but had been misled by unnamed top security bosses and big names in the NRM who she accused of sabotaging her work.
“These are people I have worked with, but they were misused,” Namyalo said during a TV appearance, distancing herself from the chaos while exposing internal rifts within the NRM’s machinery.
Back at City Hall, Chaggason’s red axe display sparked murmurs across the chamber, with some Councillors expressing alarm while others nodded in support. He urged fellow leaders, especially those from the opposition, to consider personal protection measures, saying the state had failed to guarantee their safety.
“We are not provoking anyone. But they should know that we won’t just die quietly. If they want a fight, they’ll get it,” he warned. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
