Yazid Yolisigira
28 April 2011
Iganga — At least 34 Forum for Democratic Change supporters in Iganga District, including an assistant to Bugweri county MP Abdu Katuntu, were arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in election-related violence during the February elections. The police have produced 21 in court, while 13 are still in custody waiting to be charged. The accused were arrested from different areas in Bugweri and are believed to be supporters of MP Abdu Katuntu.
The officer in-charge of election/political crime in Iganga, Ms Caroline Okwogero, said many more are still wanted. According to police sources, the accused and others still at large assaulted a number of NRM supporters, incited violence, caused malicious damage to property belonging to NRM supporters and defaced posters of NRM candidates. Ms Okwogero yesterday told reporters that the files of the 13 in custoday have been sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for perusal.
Kivejinja blamed
The detainees include Ayub Kyozila, a political assistant to Mr Katuntu and also the LC3 chairman-elect of Ibulanku Sub-county, Mr Kalimu Balabala, the FDC publicity secretary for Buyanga Sub-county, Isa Bakaki, the FDC chairman for Kalalu village, Godfrey Tasiwuka, the FDC chairman for Idudi parish, among others.
Asked why they arrested only opposition supporters yet there were allegations that some NRM supporters also participated in election violence, Ms Okwogero said: “The arrest was general and we were not only interested in FDC. When we went to arrest the suspects, these are the people we got. It is just unfortunate that most of them are from FDC.”
The FDC leadership in the district has expressed fear about the way their supporters are being arrested. The district FDC chairman, Mr Sulayi Magumba, said FDC members in Bugweri are living in fear after hearing that police have a list of people to be arrested. He accused Internal Affairs Minister Kirunda Kivejinja, who lost the Bugweri seat to Mr Katuntu, of using his powers to effect the arrests.
AllAfrica – All the Time