Police officers lead Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago to a waiting van before driving him to a police station in Mukono District. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
KAMPALA- City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago was Monday arrested near his home in Rubaga Division and taken to Nagalama Police Station in Mukono District where he was still detained by evening.
Mr Lukwago was picked by police as he headed for a planned rally at Nakivubo Settlement Primary School, in Kampala City.
Others opposition figures arrested included, Ms Ingrid Turinaw, the FDC Women League chairperson, Ms Doreen Nyanjura and two others who had pitched camp outside Nakivubo Settlement Primary School.
Police are holding Mr Lukwago on allegations of inciting violence, and disobeying statutory duty under Section 116 of the Penal Code.
Earlier, police had stopped the rally on allegations that it did not meet the Public Order Management Act standards.
There were pockets of protests around Nabisalu Zone in Makindye Division and Kisekka Market after news of the arrest spread but police were quick to quelle them.
The developments follow a release of a report by a tribunal set up by the minister of Kampala, Frank Tumwebaze, which found the Mr Lukwago guilty of abuse of office, misconduct and incompetence.
The tribunal, headed by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire found Mr Lukwago guilty of incompetence, abuse of office and misconduct, and recommended changes to the KCCA Act that could see the next Lord Mayor chosen among the five division mayors, should Mr Lukwago be impeached.
Mr Tumwebaze, who has 14 days to call a Council meeting to vote on Mr Lukwago’s fate, said he would go ahead to implement his part of the bargain.
He said it was up to the councilors to vote out or retain the mayor – whose tenure has been a pain in the neck of the ruling NRM party – eager to project Jennifer Musisi the Authority executive director as the one in charge.
Mr Lukwago said last week, he would unveil his next course of action at a rally in Kampala which police said would not be allowed.
He said he would use the rally to brief his supporters of Mr Museveni’s underhand methods to disenfranchise the Kampala electorate.
But this did not happen as police blocked the rally venue and even some of the politicians who called it did not show up.
Former FDC leader Kizza Besigye was reportedly out of the country, while Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze who had on Friday sent a letter notifying Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander of yesterday’s meeting was not any were in sight.
There was heavy police presence at most open ground and roundabouts in the city in anticipation that the opposition would hold rallies or use the open space for illegal activities.
Nakivubo Settlement Primary School remained sealed off by both plain-clothed security personnel and uniformed police officers.
Meanwhile Maj Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu said the current KCCA standoff is a project that Mr Museveni has been working on.
“The current problems in Kampala can be traced to the manner in which the regime has manipulated people that nothing can happen so that they lose hope,” Gen. Muntu told journalist at the party’s weekly press conference in Najjanakumbi.
He said: “In the general context, the regime has lost direction and the only solution is removing President Museveni so that all the things that have gone wrong are rectified.”
Reported by Solomon Arinaitwe, Dear Jeanne, Al Mahdi Ssenkabirwa and Andrew Bagala
