Violence erupts in Ssembabule again

POLITICS|VIOLENCE|INTIMIDATION 

SSEMBABULE - Fresh incidents of election violence and hooliganism have erupted in Mawogola North constituency, Ssembabule district, again. This is barely a week after President Yoweri Museveni intervened and warned against the vice.

Among the violence victims was the Ssembabule town council mayor, Jude Kasekende. Other victims were his chief campaigners who were held by unknown people for close to two hours on Monday and later dumped in a swamp at Kanywamagana.

Kasekende and the councillor representing the town council, Tonny Kizza, were ambushed, roughed up and caned at about 9:00pm at Kawanda.

"The group forced their way into the house and they ordered us to lie down. They asked us to identify ourselves before they saw me and dragged me away," he said. He said they dragged him into one of the four vehicles that had ambushed them.

He said there were three guns in the car. Kasekende is a supporter of Shartsi Kutesa, one of the aspirants for the NRM flag for Mawogola North. He said residents came to his aid when they saw him on the roadside.

Kasekende said he reported the case at Sembabule Central Police Station.

"They roughed me up while shouting that we were giving out money, yet it is my routine to get daily briefings from my campaign agents after the door-to-door campaigns," he said.

The southern region Police commander, Enock Baine rushed to Ssembabule on Tuesday, after the incident.

New Vision learnt that a joint security meeting involving the army, Police and the Internal Security Organisation had convened in Ssembabule, to address the continued incidents of intimidation of voters and assaults.

Over 20 residents in Lugusulu sub-county, Mawogola North, said they had been beaten and intimidated.

Lugusulu sub-county LC3 chairperson Joseph Kalakure said hundreds of strange people had camped in several homes in the area.

The Rev. Fr Francis Mayanja, a priest attached to the Sembabule Catholic parish, said: "One of the violent camps threatened me and other clergy after we refused to host them.

Mawogola North MP Sam Kutesa and the district NRM party chairpersons raised concerns related to strange gun-wielding personalities who are not officially known.

New Vision has learnt that the deputy Inspector General of Police, Gen. Sabiiti Muzeyi impounded some arms during his deployment in Sembabule a fortnight ago.