Bassajabalaba's Ushs 5m Breeds Bad Blood in Police

Five million shillings facilitation for deployment is breeding bad blood between City Businessman, Hassan Basajabalaba, and the police in Bushenyi.





Bassajabalaba claims that on the eve of the municipality elections on Tuesday, he personally gave the District Police Commander for Bushenyi five million shillings to facilitate the deployment of police at all polling stations in the municipality.





He however says that he was shocked to learn that there was little police presence on the ground resulting to some election mess in some places.





There was chaos at Kashenyi polling station inBushenyi district when supporters of Jafari Basajjabalaba, disappeared with a ballot box.



Barbra Mulimira, the returning officer, says people traveling in a saloon car came with pangas, scared away polling officials and the voters and ran away with a ballot box for votes of directly elected municipality councilors.





Police is investigating the incident. But for Bassajabalaba, whose brother lost the election, is not happy with the turn out of events. He says that such an incident should have not have happened especially after he parted with his five million shillings to facilitate the police deployment.





Bassajabalaba stormed the police station demanding to know why the police never deployed and why his money was taken.







The charged Bassajabablaba, who is also the NRM party chairman in Bushenyi district, challenged the police officers at the courtyard to explain how a voter managed to sneak away with a ballot box from Kashenyi Parish polling station.



Bassajabalaba said he had earlier asked the DPC to deploy heavily due to unforeseen chaos, the DPC allegedly told him that the police didn't have enough fuel for which Bassajabalaba claims he reacted by issuing the police 5 million shillings.



But Emmanuel Muhiarwe, the greater Bushenyi election zonal commander, says that he personally got fuel from Inspector General of Police (IGP) to facilitate police and wonders why Bassajabalaba is claming responsibility for facilitating the police.



The zonal police commander says Basajjabalaba does not have the mandate to facilitate police and says that if the DPC took the money, he must declare it or face the law.



Efforts to talk to the DPC Joab Wabwire were futile, as he could not answer the repeated