Police investigates 27 cases of violence

SECURITY   POLITICS

The Police are investigating 27 cases of violence in which four people lost their lives during and after the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primary elections that took place on Friday.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said most of the incidents were from eastern Uganda, with 10 cases, followed by Lira's six and western Uganda, with three cases.

He said 25 people have been arrested as investigations take shape.

"We had anticipated that chaos would occur and we had identified the hotspots where the NRM primaries were highly contested," Enanga said, adding that this was from the intelligence assessment report.

"The elections were highly competitive, with a high turnout." Enanga was addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.

The press conference was also addressed by Brig. Gen. Flavia Bwekwaso, the spokesperson of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF), Frank Baine, the spokesperson of Uganda Prison Services and Jacob Siminyu, the spokesperson of immigration under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Enanga described the incidents as torture and intimidation and that some of the aspirants were engaged in the violence after the declaration of results.

The Police spokesperson said the most outstanding was in Ntungamo, where the state minister for labour, Mwesigwa Rukutana, and his escorts have been arrested.

CHAOS ISOLATED

Bwekwaso said the cases of violence are being blamed on the army, but the overall command is the Uganda Police Force.

She said the army is only called by Police to intervene when they need support.

She also pointed out that the incidents of chaos and violence were isolated.

She said the Police are overstretched and that this calls for support.

She said they have a comprehensive plan to secure peaceful elections in the country.