Henry Ssemakula, one of the campaigners of John Paul Mpalanyi, who is running for the Kyotera County parliamentary seat, says they want all the police officers who were involved in the operation the day Kayabula was killed investigated.
Police have come under fire from the opposition and National
Resistance Movement-NRM party candidates in Kyotera district for alleged failure
to contain the electoral violence there. Candidates from the rival political
camps have been trading accusations for the electoral violence.
However, the rival groups accuse police of looking on as the
brutal attacks on innocent people are happening. This follows the death
of Richard Kayabula, a resident of Mabunwe–Ntovu village in Nakatoogo parish,
Nabigasa sub-county.
Kayabula was hit by
a stray bullet as police tried to stop clashes involving NRM and Democratic
Party supporters at Nakatoogo trading center on Friday last week. Politicians across the political divide have since faulted Judith
Akello, the Kyotera District Police Commander (DPC) for failing to offer any
explanation of the incident, which has fueled anger.
They want Akello
investigated; saying the bullet that killed Kayabula was fired by a police
officer under her command. Henry Ssemakula, one of the campaigners of John Paul
Mpalanyi, who is running for the Kyotera County parliamentary seat, says they
want all the police officers who were involved in the operation the day
Kayabula was killed investigated.
The other opposition members accuse the Micro Finance State
Minister and incumbent Kyotera County Member of Parliament, Haruna Kyeyune
Kasolo of using police and his bodyguards to mistreat them but their cases are
never recorded by police.
The NRM leadership has also blamed the mess on police
failure to come out clearly on the past and recent incidents, in which several
people have been attacked. Josephine Nabakooza, the Kyotera NRM Political
Commissar, wants the DPC to issue a statement about the shooting incident to
clear their doubt.
Nabakooza claims that there is a section of police and other
security officers who are opposed to NRM and commit crime to tarnish their
party name.
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Enos Mugisha, the Kyotera NRM Vice Chairperson has also appealed
to police to come out with a report on the election violence in the district.
He explains that police’s failure to contain the clashes has claimed the life
of one person and left several others nursing injuries.
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Enoch Abaine, the Greater Masaka Region Police Commander-RPC
says they are investigating various cases in which several people were attacked
in clashes between the rival parties. He says they will also investigate police
officers including the DPC and minister Kasolo’s bodyguards to establish the
person who shot and killed Kayabula.
He says they have
already arrested their officers who were involved in the operation to aid on
the ongoing investigations.
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He condemned the clashes over voters that have led to loss
of lives and injuries and called for calm.
Davis Buyondo
Freelancer