Police in Sembabule are questioning the Woman Member of Parliament for Sembabule, Anifa Kawooya, for her alleged involvement in the battering of a polling agent in Matete sub-county this morning.
John Bosco Ddumba, says that at about 10:30 a.m. when he and a small crowd of people turned up to vote at Mitete polling station in Matete sub-county, Anifa Kawooya made a sudden entrance. He says Kawooya, who lives close to Mitete arrived in the company of an armed bodyguard.
Ddumba claims that it was then that the MP spotted one of her former campaign officers only identified as Mulinda. He says Kawooya attacked Mulinda, accusing him of betraying her re-election bid.
Ddumba and others who witnessed the incident say Kawooya instructed her bodyguard to arrest Mulinda and a second polling agent called Yiga Kaveera.
Angered by this, the crowd turned on the MP. Her bodyguard shot in the air to scare the mob and people fled for their lives.
Elections at Mitete polling station were suspended for a while as the matter was resolved.
The southern regional CID boss, Christopher Rugumayo, rushed to the scene to assess the damage. He met with the presiding officer and polling agents to reach an amicable solution to the conflict.
Latif Ngonzi, the Sembabule returning officer, says he will meet Anifa Kawooya and any other aggrieved parties today to prevent further violence.
Kawooya says she doesn't understand why she is at the center of the conflict. According to her, when she arrived at Mitete she saw that Mulinda was high on drugs and so she ordered his arrest to prevent the disruption of the polls.
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