Electoral Commission is investigating two top FDC officials suspected of smuggling a bunch of sticks and iron bars to Burambu and Katungu polling stations to disrupt the just concluded Ishaka-Bushenyi municipality by-elections. They are Ingrid Turinawe, the FDC women league chairperson and Francis Mwijukye, the FDC national youth coordinator.
Engineer Badru Kigundu, the Electoral Commission chairperson says that the smuggling of such tools into polling stations tantamount to a high degree election violence. He says that the sticks and iron bars were found in two vehicles of registration number UAR 352T and UAD 371M, adding that one of the vehicles belongs to Francis Mwijukye.
He says that they are yet to identify the owner of the second vehicle a Toyota corolla that was found abandoned at the polling station. Kigundu says that they also found more sticks in a vehicle belonging to Ingrid Turinawe.
//Cue in:”possible violent environment…..//
Cue out……the intended use.//
Turinawe and Mwijukye have denied smuggling sticks and iron bars into polling station, saying they were planted by supporters of Nasser Basajjabalaba to black mail them. Poly Namaye, the South Western regional police publicist says that they have impounded both cars and have packed them at Bushenyi central police station.
She says that police is investigating to establish the motive of those who brought the sticks and iron bars into the polling station before deciding on what action to take. On the eve of the Ishaka-Bushenyi Municipality MP by elections, police chief Kale Kayihura said that they had received information that some candidates had hired goons to disrupt polls forcing him to step up security to prevent election violence.
