In the aftermath of Sunday’s clashes between National Resistance Movement candidate Yoweri Museveni and Go Forward supporters of John Patrick Amama Mbabazi in Ntungamo district, the Inspector General of Police, General Kale Kayihura has pitched camp in the area to assess the situation and figure out the exact cause of the clashes.
According to the Police Spokesman Mr. Fred Enanga, Kayihura’s move is to analyse, “if violence is a new tool used by politicians and whether the alleged NRM supporters were really NRM.”
Upon ending his last rally at Kyamate stadium in Ntungamo District yesterday, Mr.Mbabazi’s convoy was confronted by a group of people donning NRM party colours with the face of President Museveni on their t-shirts, and, according to police, reports indicate that a flying object was thrown at Mbabazi’s convoy, hitting an escort vehicle, prompting his supporters to attack.
A total of nine people, allegedly supporters of the NRM, were injured and rushed to hospital, have currently been discharged.
Police says all the nine have recorded statements and that two arrests have been made.
The IGP has promised Ugandans a preliminary report on the incident after assessing the saga thoroughly.
According to police, the election period is so far free of violence apart from a few incidents recorded in the areas of Bukomansimbi, Arua, Wakiso and the most recent one in Ntungamo. There are also three cases of threatening violence and three others of defacing campaign posters.
“We have so far policed more than 400 campaign rallies this season and all have been a success; we therefore call upon the public to desist from election violence,” Mr Enanga said.
In a related development the Independent Electoral Commission has condemned the Ntungamo violence and directed the police to investigate the matter.
“The Electoral Commission has asked the Uganda Police Force to investigate this incident and furnish us with their findings.
Even as the Commission waits for the report on this incident, we wish to reiterate our utter condemnation of acts of violence during the electoral process.
We urge candidates to prevail upon their supporters and agents to desist from any actions that may lead to disruption of public order, and to always use peaceful means to express their views.
We further call for a tolerant approach to political debate, so that we have peaceful, free and fair elections,” the IEC Chairman Eng Badru Kiggundu wrote.
Meanwhile, the IEC has released voters’ registers, complete with photos of the respective voters to the individual presidential candidates.
