Rukutana denies firing bullets in Saturday scuffle

POLITICS   2021 ELECTIONS

State minister for labour, Mwesigwa Rukutana has denied firing any bullet following his arrest on Saturday in a case where he has been charged with attempted murder among others by the Police.

His lawyers have since issued a statement claiming no bullet was fired by the minister or his guards during the fracas that happened in Ntungamo after NRM primaries.

Below is a statement issued by Rukutana's lawyers, LSA Advocates 👇👇

Correction of the false information that Hon. Mwesigye Rukutana shot a person

Media is awash with false information that the Hon. Minister shot and that the person died, thus the minister's arrest. In fact, it was first said that he shot the person in the stomach, then later this false version that he shot in the neck, then these two false versions again changed that the person allegedly shot was a different person than the earlier one first mentioned which also is false.

The true position of the matter is that, the Hon. Minister who was a candidate in the recently held NRM parliamentary primary elections for Rushenyi county was on the 5 of September at his home preparing for prayers after the loss of his mother-in-law. That he sent his son to pick a Reverend who was to conduct prayers at his home and thereafter go for burial and later proceed for polling. That while his son was returning from picking the Reverend, the Ministers son together with the Reverend found the road leading to the home of the Minister blocked and on inquiry from the people who had blocked the road, they hurled lots of insults on the Ministers son and the Reverend accusing them of going to bribe voters.

The people who were in the car that blocked the road threatened of burning the car which the Minister's son was driving and thus the son and Reverend called the Minister about the threat of burning the car, the Minister's son and the Reverend then called the Hon Minister for rescue. The Hon Minister then together with his bodyguard and other few people who were at his home moved fast to safeguard his son and Reverend. That on reaching the scene, the people who were in the car that blocked the road refused to remove the blockade and 

exchanged lots of insults with the minister for which one of the persons in the car that had blocked the road was seen by the Minister darking down in the co-drivers seat to pick a weapon for which the Minister then returned back to his car to also secure a weapon to scare away the armed people in the car that had blocked the road and also to protect himself and his son.

At no point did the Minister of his bodyguard release any bullet. The weapons of the minister's guard and his weapons were all retrieved by the police and are available for inspection, and the truth shall be established that the weapons never released any bullet nor is there and shell of any bullet at the scene.

It's therefore unfortunate that the media is publishing false stories that the Minister shot and killed or wounded any person which not true.

It is not usually our practice of addressing our clients matters through media but we found it fit to make this correction as stated by the Minister such that the public gets to know the correct position.