Amama Mbabazi arrested

By Simon Masaba, Charles Okalebo & Charles Etukuri

Former Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi, has been put under preventive arrest, Police operations chief, Felix Kaweesi has said. 

The former NRM Secretary General was destined for Mbale to hold consultations for his presidential bid.

“I gave him two options; to go back to Kampala or I arrest him. I have arrested him,” Kaweesi said.

Mbabazi, clad in black trousers with a matching dark coat and a white shirt was intercepted by the Police at Njeru Town Council in Buikwe district a few metres to the Nile Bridge (at the Owen falls dam) near Jinja town.

The former Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) was arrested at about 9.30am by police personnel commanded by the head of the Police operations Andrew Felix Kaweesi.

Mbabazi was travelling in a Toyota Land Cruiser.

As the two vehicles approached the spot, the police that was already waiting, drove a police vehicle and parked it across the highway to block Mbabazi’s convoy.

Kaweesi then asked Mbabazi where he was going and what his mission was to which Mbabazi responded that he was heading to Mbale town.

“Under the law of your party (NRM) you are not allowed to go to Mbale, you have not been cleared by the party, so can you kindly leave your vehicle and board ours,” Kaweesi told Mbabazi.

Initially, Mbabazi hesitated claiming he was not going to Mbale as a member of the NRM but as an individual.

But when Kaweesi insisted, he obliged. He picked his coat from the seat of his vehicle dressed up, waved to hundreds of cheering supporters who had gathered before sitting in the waiting police car.

From Njeru, Mbabazi was driven off in the police car followed by police patrol vehicles towards Kayunga district.

A scuffle then ensued as other police officers restrained Mbabazi’s daughter Nina from proceeding to Mbale.

The standoff lasted for about 40 minutes, causing traffic jam on the ever busy highway. She later gave in but her next destination was not clear.