Major General (Rtd) Kasirye Gwanga has told Eagle Online that Sgt. Esther Namaganda, the traffic police officer who was assaulted yesterday in Seeta in a fracas involving Major General (Rtd) Matayo Kyaligonza and his aides, failed to respect the old man who is an NRM historical.
“The police officer should have realized and instead noted the number plate and reported the matter to her superiors. Otherwise she shouldn’t have reacted after realizing that the army was involved,” Kasirye Gwanga told Eagle Online via phone.
Sgt Namaganda was trying to stop Gen Kyaligonza’s convoy that was making a U-turn at Seeta road junction on Kampala-Jinja Highway. She was confronted by Kyaligonza’s bodyguards, Cpl. Peter Bushindiki and John Robert Okurut.
However, Kasirye Gwanga said he respects traffic rules. “Me I respect traffic rules, so I would not misbehave.” But he said Kyaligonza should have remained silent and remained in his car. Why leave the car?” He said.
A video clip and photos of Kyaligonza and the two military police soldiers harassing the police officer are trending on social media platforms with viewers blaming Kyaligonza for the mess.
Meanwhile Earlier, UPDF Spokesperson Brig. Richard Karemire revealed the two UPDF officers who were involved in the fracas were arrested and are currently detained at Military police custody in Makindye.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said police has instituted two teams to investigate the matter and as a matter of protocol, the team will through the police leadership summon Kyaligonza, through the Ministries of Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs on probable charges of assault and wrongful obstruction of an officer on duty.
This is not the first incident where Maj Gen Kyaligonza has been involved in a fracas.
In the 2001 general elections, he beat up Mr Amlan Tumusiime, a former news editor of Radio Hoima for airing a story he said did not favour him.
Women activists have petitioned the Speaker of Parliament about the incident, calling for action to be taken against Kyaligonza who happens to be Uganda’s High Commissioner to Burundi.