Govt arrests Besigye’s poll agents in Ntungamo
17th Feb 2011
By Timothy Nsubuga
Dr. Besigye at Makerere University Freedom Sq yesterday
Yesterday, 16th February at about 6.30pm, the government arrested 27 FDC supporters and poll agents at Kataraka. The group were arrested from Mr. John Behumbiza’s house. Mr. Behumbiza is the Chairman of Dr. Besigye’s Nyakyera Campaign Task Force.
The FDC supporters were arrested while they were training to act as polling agents for FDC candidates for the election of 18th February. The trainer Charles Tukwase, from another sub-county, was also arrested among the agent trainees. According IPC’s Director of Communication & Publicity M/s Margaret Wokuri, the opposition activists “…were piled on a double cabin pick-up truck like dead bodies and taken to Ntungamo police station”.
The names of the arrested opposition activists so far established are; Edward Karabarwa, M. Ibase Arthur, Tindyebwa Geoffrey, Tushabe Grace, Esau Katabarwa, Ruzahuka Christopher, Mbakurate Cypriano, Twesigye, Tibayungwa, and Banyenzaki .
Yesterday’s arrests took place hardly two weeks after the arrest of Mr. Stephen Mujuni who was arrested on 9th February when the FDC/IPC party flag bearer for the presidency of Uganda Dr. Kizza Besigye was in Ntungamo district.
Mr. Mujuni was arrested for wearing an FDC T-shirt and decorating his motorcycle with Dr. Besigye’s posters and passing near a venue where President Museveni’s wife Janet, who is also the MP for Ruhaama County, was scheduled to hold a campaign event. Mujuni was kept overnight in police cells at Ntungamo police station but was later released on police bond. The police authorities at Ntungamo however detained Mujuni’s Motorcycle and are yet to release it.
More harassment of opposition activists in Ntungamo
In a related incident of state violence in Ntungamo Municipality, which part of Ruhaama County, Mr. Levi Rugasira and Ms Alice Kafoda were allegedly beaten up and later dumped at Ntungamo police station with broken limbs. Dr. Besigye’s campaign task force has expressed fears of more arrests by the ruling NRM as the elections climax today and tomorrow.
‘Voting in Ruhama County may not be by secret ballot’
In a statement, M/s Margaret Wokuri said, “…there has been intimidation of all sorts for some time. NRM leaders, like Mr. Habineza, NRM Chair Ruhaama sub-county has [allegedly, Ed] for example told FDC supporters that they (FDC) will be beaten up and that voting will be on the table in front of the polling officials. This therefore means that voting tomorrow in this particular constituency will not be by secret ballot”.
The IPC also says it has raised the alarm about the government’s training of vigilantes across the country. The opposition also pointed out that “…the highest concentration [is] in Ntungamo. More police units have since been deployed in the district in addition to military presence and activity”, the IPC statement read in part.
Efforts to get comment from Police Spokesperson Judith Nabakoba have been futile. The IPC however added that in spite of all the intimidation by state security operatives, Dr. Besigye has “…successfully reached out to people in all the districts, constituencies and the over 1000 Sub-Counties. For the last three days, Kampala has been jammed with crowds who turned up to welcome their President”, Wokuri said.
During his final rallies in Kampala, Dr. Besigye urged his supporters to resist intimidation and remain firmly at all polling stations until the results are declared. He also asked his supporters to escort the declared results to the district tallying centres. END. Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
