KASESE RETURNING OFFICER RELEASED ON BOND

The Kasese district returning officer Vally Kanzira Tumwesigye who was detained on Saturday resumed his duties on Tuesday after being released on bond.
Kanzira was arrested on Saturday afternoon and detained at the Western Regional police station in Fort Portal on alleged fraud in the just concluded bye-elections for the Kasese Woman Member of Parliament.
He had on Thursday morning declared FDC’s Winfred Kiiza as the winner of the highly contested race beating NRM’s Rehema Muhindo with a thirty seven thousand seven hundred twenty three votes margin. The other candidate in the race DP’s Rosemary Masika was third with one thousand two hundred twenty nine votes.
The Kasese District Police Commander Jonathan Baroza said this evening that Kanzira was released on bond because he had some duties to carry out as a Returning Officer.
He however declined to reveal whether Kanzira was charged or not charged urging that the arrest was a deliberate move by police headquarters in Kampala.
In an interview with this reporter at his office this evening, Kanzira said that police denied him a request to be produced in court on Monday because there was no complainant in the case.
Kanzira said that detectives have questioned him about the choice of the finger nail ink mark put on voters on Election Day but he told them the Electoral Commission Offices in Kampala was answerable.
He continues with his responsibility of paying up the polling officials and constables across the district.
END.

EBOLA SCARE HITS KASESE AS RESIDENTS EAT A CHIMPANZEE.

An Ebola scare has this evening hit Kasese district after it was revealed some hunters have eaten a Chimpanzee that strayed from Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
The Law enforcement warden in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park Mr. Rujumba Bwambale says the Chimpanzee that strayed to the community yesterday evening, was killed by hunters in Buhunga village, Kilembe sub-county who shared a piece among themselves.
According to eye witnesses the Chimpanzee was killed using spears at 11: 30 am and shared among the hunters.
Rujumba embarked on village wide sensitization about the dangers the animal may have to the community if eaten but no one surrendered the meat.
He said that since Ebola has always been reported to be caused by eating of monkeys, it is not better to let people eat a chimpanzee that comes from the same primates’ class.
Rujumba said the Uganda Wildlife Authority only secured specimen meat and bones weight one kilogram that will be taken to Entebbe for examination of any ebola virus.
Ebola has for the last three weeks been a scare to most districts in western Uganda after it was confirmed in Kibaale district.
However, some of the concerned residents suggest that whoever might have eaten the Chimpanzee meat should be quarantined for a number of days as more investigations are taken.
END.

KAYIHURA LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO RENOVATE DILAPIDATED POLICE POSTS.

The Inspector General of Police Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura has this afternoon launched a campaign to renovate and rehabilitate dilapidated police posts and barracks in the country.
Kayihura made the launch at the Kasese Central police station by painting the main block and breaking the ground for the construction of an improved pit latrine at the station.
Kayihura said after operating from the Kasese police station, he decided to launch a countrywide campaign because the place was stinking with human wastes and the main buildings were dilapidated.
He tasked the District Police Commander Jonathan Baroza to mobilize police personnel to undertake the construction of the latrine and the renovation of the houses. He said the campaign will be rolled over to
the rest of the country.
The Kasese Central Police Station was constructed in the mid 1970’s during the late Idi Amin’s regime.
Meanwhile, police will foot the completion of a house that was smashed with stones by rioters on the eve of the Kasese Woman parliamentary by-elections as they protested the cordoning of the home of Rwenzururu
Kingdom Chief Prince Christopher Kibanzanga.
Police who accessed Kibanzanga’s house after nearly ten hours of cordoning claimed they had been informed that there were bouncers and hooligans being hidden by the former Busongora South MP to disrupt the elections.
When police engaged the angry FDC supporters, they attacked the home of Mr. Johnson Kiryango a senior NRM cadre in Kisanga Village, Nyamwamba Division in Kasese Municipality.
Kiryango told the IGP that the rioters used heavy stones to smash the doors and windows of his house claiming they wanted his head.
Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura instructed the police construction Unit not only to repair the damage but the completion of the house the work of which is likely to cost six million shillings.
END.

POLICE CORDONS KIBANZANGA’S HOME, FDC SUPPORTERS RIOT.

Ant riot police of Tuesday morning got involved in running battles with rioters who were protesting the cordoning of the home of Mr. Christopher Kibanzanga, the chief campaign agent for Ms. Winfred Kiiza (FDC).

The Kasese woman MP by-elections are set for Wednesday August 6 and the race is tight between FDC’s Winfred Kiiza and NRM’s Rehema Muhindo.

Police raided Mr. Kibanzanga’s home by 4:00am on Tuesday but he refused to open for them hence prompting FDC supporters to assemble there.

Anti-riot police was called in at about 8:00 when the rioters started pelting stones and bricks in protest of the police action.

A source in the police who spoke on condition of anonymity said it is suspected there are FDC bouncers hiding in Mr. Kibanzanga’s house. This source said that police will not leave until Mr. Kibanzanga opens and a search is carried out.

Close to 50 FDC youth brigade members were netted from Rock Gardens Lodge 100meters from MR. Kibanzanga’s home. By press time they had been loaded on a police Lorry and driven towards Fort-Portal.

According to Mr. Amin Ader son to former President Idi Amin, FDC has brought 1200 youth brigade most of who from West Nile to guard Kiiza’s vote from being rigged.

Ten other people among the rioters were arrested at the scene as unconfirmed reports indicated that a police officer was injured by a bow in Nyakasanga a suburb of Kasese town.

There was tear gas everywhere in Kasese town as police tried to disperse the angry rioters. Business was paralyzed in Kizungu, Nyakasanga and Kigoro areas of Nyamwamba Division.

Police and the electoral commission had warned they would arrest all the people from outside Kasese who may temper with the election process.

FDC chiefs Gen.Mugisha Muntu, Alice Alaso were the only ones granted access to Mr. Kibanzanga’s compound.

Speaking to this reporter on Phone, Mr. Kibanzanga who is also the Rwenzururu Kingdom chief prince said his royal guards informed him of the police raid at 3:30am before they started knocking at 4:00am

Mr. Kibanzanga who claims he has 10 people including visitors, dependants and his children inside the house, said he could not open because the police officers failed to show either a search warrant or an arrest warrant.

“I have decided not to open for these guys because they did not show me any search or arrest warrant. I did not open because I thought they may be terrorists targeting me. Why did they attack me without even the presence of the chairman LC one?” Mr. Kibanzanga said on phone.

By press time, the Regional Police Commander western Mr. Wilson Kwanya and other police chiefs could not make any comment claiming that there is no action so far taken as for their mission.

The rioters were shouting “NRM fears that we (FDC) are going to win, that’s why they are attacking Kibanzanga. Winfred will win the race they like it or not”.

end

MINISTER ADOLF MWESIGYE'S CAR KNOCKS ONE DEAD IN MUHOKYA, KASESE

One person died on sport and another injured on Sunday morning at Muhokya trading center five kilometers from Kasese town when a speeding official car for Local Government Minister Adolf Mwesigye knocked a motorcycle.

An eye witness said that the minister was not in the vehicle by the time of the accident but his driver identified as Julius Kisembo was heading to Katwe-Kabatoro town council where President Yoweri Museveni was campaigning for Ms Rehema Muhindo (NRM) in the Kasese woman MP by-elections.

The deceased was identified as Charles Bidongo, 30, a pastoralist a resident of Kisongora Village in Muhokya who also does boda-boda business. The injured was only identified as Nalongo a businesswoman at Kahendero Landing site on Lake George.

The injured was rushed to Kilembe hospital for medication.

Eye witnesses said that the minister’s car registration number UG 2920R knocked Bidongo’s motorcycle number UDG 877H as he tried to enter the highway from a milling machine on the lower side of the road.

“There was no way Bidongo would have survived death because the car was over speeding and hitting all the humps on the road. The car was like losing control on the road”. The eye witness said.

A traffic officer who was found at the scene confirmed the accident and said the minister’s car was already being held at Kikorongo police post on the Kasese-Mbarara road.

The traffic officer who declined to be named because he cannot speak on behalf of the police said, a postmortem was done and the body was handed over to the relatives.

Mr. Yostasi Mugisha the brother to the deceased said the family wants government to meet the funeral expenses and compensate the family because he was taking care of about 20 dependents.

“Government should come out and meet all the expenses and also take over the welfare of the widow, five orphans and 12 dependents that Bidongo has been responsible for”. Mr. Mugisha said.

By press time, the body was already at the deceased’s home in Kisongora and was to be buried on Monday.

Meanwhile, the residents of Muhokya mounted a sand road hump in protest of the over speeding cars that always cause accidents in the area. But police reportedly ordered the removal of the sandy hump and arrested one person suspected to have led the protest.

A man who only identified himself as Isingoma said “we want government to put a big hump here in Muhokya and if they can’t’ we shall building on our expense as we are tired of over speeding government cars”.  END.

REBELS OVER RUN CONGOLESE BORDER TOWNS AS REFUGEES INFLAX INTO KASESE

Business at the Mpondwe border with the democratic republic of Congo was paralyzed on Friday morning after rebels attacked the Congolese towns of Lubiriha and Kasindi over night.
Hundreds of refugees are crossing into Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo following heavy artillery from the Congolese side.

Friday is cross border market day which attracts thousands of Ugandans from Kasese and other parts of the country.

Mr. Enos  Sabayo a businessman in the Lubiriha market at the border says the business was halted by the customs authorities as they attend to the Congolese refugees entering Uganda.

The UPDF spokesperson of the 2nd Division Capt. Peter Mugisha told www.thembokahungu.blogspot.com on phone that correspondences with their Congolese counterparts indicate that the rebels who attacked the border towns of Lubiriha and Kasindi are of the Mai Mai militia that fights in eastern
Congo.

“We have corresponded with the commanders the other side (DRC) and they say the Mai Mai rebels attacked the two towns over night”. said Capt.Peter Mugisha

Capt. Mugisha said that the Congolese army reports they have repulsed the rebels although no casualties on both sides were reported by press time.

Asked about the influx of the refugees, Capt. Mugisha said they are allowed to run to safety since Ugandans have relatives in the Congolese territory.

The unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo if it continues is likely to affect the voting in Kasese Woman Parliamentary seat by-elections to be held on Wednesday next week. The opposition Forum for Democratic Change has been alleging that the NRM officials want to use a number of Congolese to cast the votes in the government’s favour.

Eye witness calling from close to Lubiriha town in the DRC say that the rebels seem to have taken over the town as they are seen calming
the people down.

However, we could not easily access the rebels’ contacts to confirm what their motive is.

Mr. Johnson Kalambaya a Ugandan cross border dealer says that his businesses are stuck because none of his agents is able to transact business.

The Mpondwe border in Kasese is known to be on the Transafrica High
way road that connects business from Mombasa in at the East African
Coast to Lagos in Nigeria through the DRC.

The mai mai.
The term Mai-Mai or Mayi-Mayi refers to any kind of community-based militia group active, formed to defend their local territory against other armed groups. Most were formed to resist the invasion of Rwandan
forces and Rwanda-affiliated Congolese rebel groups, but some may have formed to exploit the war for their own advantage by looting, cattle rustling and banditry.
Groups that fall under the umbrella term "Mai Mai" include armed forces led by warlords, traditional tribal elders, village heads, and politically motivated resistance fighters. Because Mai Mai have had
only the most tenuous internal cohesion, different Mai Mai groups allied themselves with a variety of domestic and foreign government and guerilla groups at different times. The term Mai Mai does not
refer to any particular movement, affiliation or political objective but to a broad variety of groups.
The Mai Mai are particularly active in the provinces in the east bordering Rwanda, north Kivu and South Kivu, which were under the control of the Rwanda-allied Banyamulenge-dominated rebel faction, the
Rally for Congolese Democracy-Goma (RCD-Goma).
END.

MUHOKYA POLICE POST ATTACK SUSPECTS REMANDED UNTIL AUGUST 16.

The Kasese Grade One Magistrate Mr. Nathan Mulindwa on Thursday placed on remand until August 16 the eight people suspected to have attacked Muhokya police post attack killing a police officer and injuring two others.

Prosecution alleges that on July 27 the eight men in a group with others still on the run raided Muhokya police post and killed a police officer Semakula Mugabi and injured two others before taking off with two machine guns.

Police has since recovered one gun with 27 rounds of ammunitions. In retaliation, police also killed three of the attackers whom authorities allege were members of the Rwenzururu Veterans Development Association and supports of Forum for Democratic Change.

Those placed on remand in Mubuku prison are Simon Bwambale ,40, Misaki Mirerembu Muhindo 52, Yosia Kighunza 48, Samuel Muhindo 38, and Bighambo Baluku 38 all civilians.

Three others are police personnel who include Number 53225 Police Constable Wilson Mbusa attached to Bundibugyo police post a resident of Muhokya trading center, No. 10150 SPC Johnson Mwiraghulhu and No. 10447 SPC Martin Kule both attached to Muhokya police post.

Grade One Magistrate Nathan Mulindwa said his court has no mandate to try capital offences hence remanding them to August 16. None of the suspects was granted bail because they did not have sureties.

In a related development, two district councilors- Mr. Elly Magwara (Kyabarungira) and Abdu Saad (Maliba) were also remanded until August 7 for inciting violence in regard to the installation of Mr. Ivan Bwebale as the King of the Basongora on July 1.

Elly Magwara is the leader of opposition in the Kasese district council. They are both members of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

Prosecution alleges that the two who were arrested on Wednesday held different assemblies in Busongora North on July 5 constituency urging the Rwenzururu Veterans to attack the Basongora.

Mr. Magwara according to prosecution held a meeting at Kitswamba Trading Center in Kitswamba sub-county mobilizing Rwenzururu Veterans to sharpen their spears and machetes to attack the Basongora. Mr. Abdu Saad is alleged to have held a meeting at Maliba sub-county headquarters planning the attack on Mr. Mustafa Kikusa who led a delegation to parliament some days back demanding for the split of Kasese district.

The grade one magistrate did not allow them to take plea neither to apply for bail because his court has no mandate.

“You have heard the changes placed against the two of you. You do not have to say anything and also apply for bail because my court has no mandate to do so. I therefore place you on remand until August 7”. Said Mr. Nathan Mulindwa the grade one magistrate.

Their lawyer Mr. Geoffrey Sibendire of the Sibendire, Tayebwa and company advocates said his clients will be patient until the prescribed date to re-appear in court reaches.

Mr. Sibendire said “as of now, I cannot say they committed the offence or not before prosecution brings evidence to court but we shall we wait for Tuesday when they can apply for bail”.

In court were FDC leaders Christopher Kibanzanga, FDC candidate for Kasese district parliamentary by-elections, Ms. Winfred Kiiza, Busongora North MP William Nzoghu among others.

Mr. William Nzoghu the MP for Busongora North Constituency where the two come from said, the NRM leadership in the district is framing cases against them as a way of disorganizing the campaign strategy for Ms. Kiiza.

The two councilors according to Mr. Nzoghu are suffering because of their efforts to write to the Kasese Resident District Commissioner Lt. Milton Odongo to apologize for not taking action as the Basongora crowned their King and raised a flag in the area covered by Rwenzururu Kingdom.

Mr. Magwara is the same person mobilizing signatures from residents asking president Yoweri Museveni to transfer the RDC and his deputy accusing their of being incompetent. END.