Mbabazi's daughter Rachael arrested

By Charles Etukuri

Police on Thursday morning arrested Rachael Mbabazi, daughter of former Premier, Amama Mbabazi.

According to Nina Rukikaire, also Mbabazi’s daughter, her sister was arrested together with four people she was with.

Rachael was escorting her father to Mbale. She and the members of the team in the two vehicles were still detained at Lugazi Police station by noon. Only Mbabazi’s wife Jacqueline was allowed to access them at the station.

Her arrest was shortly after the Police placed his father under preventive arrest at Njeru town in Mukono near Jinja on his way to Mbale for a consultative meeting. She did not give the location of the arrest.

Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, said he was yet to confirm whether it was Mbabazi’s daughter who was arrested but confirmed they had made some preventive arrests in different areas around the country.

However, a Police source said Mbabazi’s daughter regarded as a key person in his presidential bid was arrested as she was driving to her father’s campaign headquarters on Plot 29 Nakasero in Kampala.

Enanga clarified on phone that they had not arrested Mbabazi but Police put the former Premier under temporary preventive arrest.

He explained that the preventive arrest was meant to keep somebody out of temporary danger. “We use it to temporarily keep someone out of a situation or crisis that the police feel may degenerate out of control. Once the danger has been eliminated, the person is set free,” he said.

Enanga also said that Mbabazi was still in Jinja as Police monitor the situation.  Police vehemently defended the arrest. “He is in Jinja as we monitor the situation,” Enanga said.

Reports indicated that Police had received orders to drive the former Premier back to his house in Kololo.