Jinja chairman blocked from holding NRM meeting
Sep 30, 2010
SECURITY operatives in Jinja district on Tuesday clashed with the Butagaya sub-county NRM chairperson, Moses Batwala, for over two hours as they blocked him from holding a meeting.
By Jackie Namboga
SECURITY operatives in Jinja district on Tuesday clashed with the Butagaya sub-county NRM chairperson, Moses Batwala, for over two hours as they blocked him from holding a meeting.
Batwala had called the meeting to purportedly solicit signatures to back the national NRM chairperson, Yoweri Museveni’s impending nomination for the 2011 presidential race.
However, security agents dispersed the crowd that had gathered at the Butagaya sub-county headquarters, citing security threats.
Batwala, who recently declared he would contest for the Jinja district LC5 seat as an independent candidate against NRM’s Fredrick Ngobi Gume, said the decision to stop his meeting had been wrong.
“Why do al-Shaabab threats feature when I organise a meeting and they don’t when others do?†Batwala asked.
He accused the Jinja deputy resident district commissioner, Apollo Bwebale, the district police chief, Jonathan Musinguzi, the district NRM vice-chairperson, Majid Dhikusooka, and Gume of failing his meeting.
“They thought I was canvassing support in my bid for the LC5 seat,†Batwala said.
He explained that calling a general meeting for the NRM members in Butagaya was cheaper and would save time, rather than moving around the villages looking for the president’s backers.
Batwala is also a former Jinja district vice-chairperson.
Bwebale insisted there was a threat to the security of the people who had convened for the meeting.
“I decided that Batwala’s meeting be blocked after identifying security threats. It had nothing to do with politics,†Bwebale said.
Bwebale did not disclose the security threats, but noted that as head of the security committee, he had powers to halt any gathering provided there were threats.
SECURITY operatives in Jinja district on Tuesday clashed with the Butagaya sub-county NRM chairperson, Moses Batwala, for over two hours as they blocked him from holding a meeting.
Batwala had called the meeting to purportedly solicit signatures to back the national NRM chairperson, Yoweri Museveni’s impending nomination for the 2011 presidential race.
However, security agents dispersed the crowd that had gathered at the Butagaya sub-county headquarters, citing security threats.
Batwala, who recently declared he would contest for the Jinja district LC5 seat as an independent candidate against NRM’s Fredrick Ngobi Gume, said the decision to stop his meeting had been wrong.
“Why do al-Shaabab threats feature when I organise a meeting and they don’t when others do?†Batwala asked.
He accused the Jinja deputy resident district commissioner, Apollo Bwebale, the district police chief, Jonathan Musinguzi, the district NRM vice-chairperson, Majid Dhikusooka, and Gume of failing his meeting.
“They thought I was canvassing support in my bid for the LC5 seat,†Batwala said.
He explained that calling a general meeting for the NRM members in Butagaya was cheaper and would save time, rather than moving around the villages looking for the president’s backers.
Batwala is also a former Jinja district vice-chairperson.
Bwebale insisted there was a threat to the security of the people who had convened for the meeting.
“I decided that Batwala’s meeting be blocked after identifying security threats. It had nothing to do with politics,†Bwebale said.
Bwebale did not disclose the security threats, but noted that as head of the security committee, he had powers to halt any gathering provided there were threats.