Police hunt for Maj. Mutale, Lukwago militias

By Simon Masaba

The Police have embarked on a hunt of militias who appear in two separate video footage in which the Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs, Maj. Kakooza Mutale, and Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago aimed to breach the law as they embark on political mobilization ahead of the 2016 general elections.

The police said they (Militias) tend to unleash and cause violence to those that don't belong nor subscribe to their political groups. They must be stopped and foil their plans.

"We managed to analyse the footage to help identify them and a team has been dispatched to ensure arrests," Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga said, while addressing journalists Monday, at the Police headquarters in Naguru, a city suburb.

He said police was in search of the militias from various city suburbs. By press time no arrests had been made.

"Among the politicians (Mutale and Lukwago) none has the mandate to recruit and train. The mandate regarding the exercise is granted by the police, Army or prisons and have not done so," Enanga said. 

Subsequently, Enanga said Mutale and Lukwago had been summoned to record a statement over the self-styled militias at the police's Political crime desk attached to the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Directorate (CIID) in Kibuli, a city suburb.

When asked on when the duo would appear, Enanga said he would cross check and get back, however by press time he had not.

Efforts to get comment from CIID chief, Grace Akullo, were futile as calls to her known official line went unanswered by press time.

Last week, Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi, the minister of information and national guidance, warned that Government would deal with actors, including Mutale if they cross the line.

"The position of Government is that there must be respect of law and order. We don't expect anybody to break the law because we have enough security personnel. If anybody infringes any law, he or she will be brought to book but every political party has a right to mobilise within the law," he said.

Muhwezi was replying to questions from journalists over the ongoing moblisation of militias by various political actors within the country.

"Kakooza Mutale's group is for mobilization. Political parties are free to mobilise according to the law. However, law and order must be respected at all times—during elections and after elections. Anybody who crosses the line we shall deal with them," he said.

Previously, Mutale had told journalists that he is training various NRM cadres to ensure that President Yoweri Museveni wins the 2016 elections. Mutale warned that whoever will stand in the way of his candidate for 2016 would be quashed.

To counter Mutale's group, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, an opposition activist also launched a youth group dubbed: Trust and Justice Solida.

Muhwezi said that such groups should not over-step the mobilization role to engage in violence and other unlawful related activities.

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