Violence ushers in presidential campaigns as Mbabazi’s agent car gets burnt
Mr Meddie Kikomeko, Presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi's youth leader in Sembabule District, displays his poster while standing near the wreckage of his car which-was burnt on Saturday night. PHOTO BY ISSA ALIGA
SEMBABULE/MASAKA .Pockets of violence have ushered in 2016 general presidential campaigns in Masaka region.
Violent actions have so far been reported in Lugusulu Sub -county in Sembabule District and parts of Bukoto East Constituency in Masaka district among other areas in the sub region.
Meddie Kikomeko, the Go Forward Youth chairperson in Sembabule district is nursing wounds after he was reportedly attacked and beaten up by unidentified people before setting his car on fire on Sunday morning.
Mr Kikomeko said he was waylaid by unidentified people at a place known as Kabosa in Lugusulu Sub- county a few meters from Sembabule Town. They allegedly confiscated his phones before ordering him out of his car.
Kikomeko’s Toyota Premio Reg.No. UAB 873L was burnt to ashes.
Kikomeko explained that his attackers accused him of pinning up campaign posters of presidential aspirant John Patrick Amaama Mbabazi on his car.
“They beat me up as they blamed me for preaching the gospel of Go Forward in Sembabule and coming out publically to declare my support for Mbabazi,” he said.
Southern Regional Police spokesperson Noah Sserunjogi said Police had begun a hunt for the said suspects.
“Our team is busy hunting for the two suspects and when arrested, they will answer charges of causing grievous harm and malicious damage,” he said.
Masaka Municipality MP and the coordinator of Mbabazi campaign in Masaka sub region, Mathias Mpuuga said cases of violence have also been reported at Bukulula village in Mukungwe Sub -county in Masaka District where youths who were pining up posters of Mbabazi were attacked and beaten up by people suspected to be security operatives.
He said that the violent actions against Mbabazi supporters in the region are aimed at intimidating them.
“We have information that people that are behind attacks and violent actions against our supporters are the crime preventers that have been deployed in several villages but they should stand warned that we are going to drag anyone who will be found persecuting people who are yearning for change to courts of law as individuals” he added.
Mr Jude Mbabali, an aspirant for Bukoto Central Constituency, and also supporter of Mr Mbabazi said, the Go Forward campaign team has a team of lawyers that will help all victims of violence in the coming general elections so that they can access justice.
“We will continue to mobilize other people to support Mbabazi because many people in Sembabule have not benefited from President Museveni’s development projects,” he said.
