Drunkard fights police, companion undresses

By Eddie Ssejjoba

Police on Friday morning arrested a man for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and causing a traffic fracas along the Mukwano-Namuwongo road junction in  Kampala. A woman who was with him admitted she was drunk, and even undressed but the police ignored her.

Agatiah Musinguzi, a resident of Kanyanya in Wakiso district was moving in the company of an unidentified young lady from Namuwongo when traffic police officers realised that he was driving on a flat tyre.

He allegedly refused to get out of his car and attempted to overtake several vehicles in a jam but policemen dragged him out, leaving the car in the middle of the road.

The man then overpowered about six policemen who tried to wrestle him and handcuff him. The police regrouped and managed to arrest the suspect and took him to CPS where he was detained. 

The commander said the suspect would be taken to court but blamed onlookers for not helping the police to arrest the ‘violent’ man since he could have knocked anyone along the road.

While all this was going on,  his female companion shouted and insulted policemen, accusing them of wanting to get money out of "my man".

She admitted to police that she was drunk but her ‘man’ was not, and demanded that they let him free. She waved and showed a business card of an assistant RDC (names withheld) and threatened the officers that she had called him (RDC) to send them a rescue team.

The woman later turned to the bystanders, abused them and in the process undressed  to the bodaboda riders who jeered her.  

Musinguzi had told police that he was going to a garage to repair his tyre. He also told the police that the woman in the car was not his wife but had picked her from a bar he declined to name.

The Kampala Metropolitan traffic commander Lawrence Niwabiine said they had preferred charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, careless driving and driving a vehicle in dangerous mechanical condition.

“We tested him for alcohol and found him to be above the prescribed limit of alcohol when driving,” Niwabiine explained. he did not specify the amount.

According to Niwabiine, the police did not arrest the lady who was in the car though she attempted to block the arrest but she was ordered out of the car that was towed to CPS.