A police station came under heavy attack hours after Ugandans went to the polls, resulting in the shooting to death of at least 13 people, Uganda’s police spokesperson has claimed.
According to spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe, speaking to Reuters on Friday, January 16 as reported by the Monitor, an MP identified as Muwanga Kivumbi mobilised a group of heavily armed ‘goons’ in Butambala, about 55 km (35 miles) southwest of Kampala to stage the daring attack.
They were armed with machetes and other assorted crude weapons, Tumshabe said.
“Security responded in self-defense because these people came in big numbers. Police fired in self defense,” Tumushabe was quoted as having said.
However, Kivumbi has rubbished the claims by the police saying security officers had stormed his home and attacked his supporters who were waiting to celebrate his victory.
According to him, the attack at his home was carried out at around 3am with police opening fire against his supporters.
He said the scene was a massacre as his supporters, converged at his garage, were ambushed yet they had been peaceful.
“They killed 10 people inside my house. It was a massacre,” he claimed.
Earlier, he said, police had dispersed a group of protesters and denied those killed had attacked the local police station and a tallying centre.
The conflicting reports paints a culture of political violence across the East African countries especially Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania every electioneering year.
Thousands have killed in these countries and many more forcibly ejected from their homes.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, 81, is seeking to extend his 40-year hold on the landlocked country’s leadership and is already leading with a large percentage.
His closest rival, Bobi Wine, is currently under ‘house arrest’ after security officers scaled the fence of his home and erected tents and limited his movement.
He is trailing with at least 20% of the votes counted as at the time of publishing this story.
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