Hon. Aloysius Mukasa and his Lubaga team after their release on bail. NUP’s Nakweede (in photo) thanked them for showing solidarity
NEWS EDITOR
IF there was any Member of Parliament from outside Kayunga who had caused headache to NRM’s Andrew Muwonge camp is none other than Lubaga South legislator Hon. Aloysius Mukasa.
As eletion day was nearing, all security teams in Kayunga were put on alert to make sure Mukasa doesn’t enter this district.
This is the very MP who on Tuesday, two days to elections day battled with army and police officers who had manned a roadblock and checkpoints at NUP President Hon. Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi’s residence in an attempt to block him from heading to Kayunga to comb votes for party candidate Harriet Nakweede.
Hon. Mukasa almost forced himself through saying he was delivering medicine to the Principal. Security, however denied him access.
Four days before this fracas at Kyagulanyi’s home, Hon. Mukasa’s ambulance was intercepted in Kayunga, driver and other occupants arrested.
We were told, Hon. Kyagulanyi had asked MP Mukasa to send his ambulance to Kayunga ahead of his visitation on Tuesday. Bobi Wine expected some security officials to shoot and injure Nakweede’s supporters, a moment the Ghetto gladiator lands in Kayunga.
According to security briefing, as soon as Mukasa’s ambulance crossed Ssezzibwa, security officials got an order to intercept it and arrest who ever was inside.
There were reports that the ambulance was ferrying Lubaga South NUP footsoldiers who are masters in vote protection and anti-vote rigging.
Security operatives had been briefed about how Mukasa employed this well trained squad during his election in January as Lubaga South MP beating 14 other candidates who included then incumbent Paul Kato Lubwama, former MP John Ken Lukyamuzi, DP’s Eugenia Nassolo, NRM’s Kenneth Male among others. Never joke with Mukasa if it comes to vote guarding. He is superb.
So security was tipped on how MP Mukasa was planing to send this squad to Kayunga to contain the enemy’s camp.
Unfortunately after a long chase between the police patrol and Lubaga South ambulance (ambulance tyres were shot at to force it stop), it was discovered that none of the occupants was a member of the feared squad.
The occupants were temporarily detained and later on left to go, although the ambulance by press time, was still parked at Kayunga Police.
MUKASA IN KAYUNGA: DID SECURITY SLEEP ON DUTY?
Even before he was elected Member of Parliament, Mukasa a successful businessman was driving in expensive cars.
At all roadblocks on Kayunga district entrances, they thought this MP will enter the district driving in a V8. They read wrong notes.
He was driving in a tinted DMC saloon car getting officers on roadblocks, off-guard. For they might have thought, this car owner was one of the pineapple farmers in Kangulumira!
So it was given way without thorough checking. If it was not for the Moses Karangwa’s men who got suspicious and called Police that the most dangerous NUP MP had been cited in Bbaale driving in an old small car, it could have taken them a decade to realize that he is in the district.
MUKASA IN KAYUNGA
He entered Kayunga town at around 6pm on Wednesday evening. Inside his car, there were three other occupants. A journalist, a one KCCA NUP councilor and the MP’s driver.
Because the Party secretariat had assigned Hon. Mukasa to oversee all polling stations in Bbaale County, he ordered his driver to drive towards Bbaale.
“Our footsoldiers from Lubaga South had already touched ground and studying the place for easy monitoring the next (polling) day.” MP Mukasa told us in an exclusive interview shortly after his release.
He moved around Bbaale subcounty undetected and briefing his anti vote rigging squad, who included among others; councilors Ronald Ssemaganda, Haruna Nkuubi, Rose Kigozi, Richard Ssekitayira, Sumayiya Kizito, Ronald Mutumba, Luyima, Faridah Nakabugo, Nagudi and others. While Mukasa was still briefing his team on what to do the next day, there came a security drone van and stopped at this group. When security men got out to find out what was going on, councilor Nakabugo identified one of them and she asked him why they were following members of Nakweede camp. Men in the drone might have not reorganised Hon. Mukasa. They entered their drone and drove away.
A few minutes later, Hon. Mukasa left this place, it was coming to night. For security purposes, he decided not to sleep in Bbaale town. He might have intended to again confuse security operatives in the drone. He almost scored on this.
We are told, Mukasa had secured a house on Kayunga-Jinja road and his aide was already at the venue.
MOSES KARANGWA’S MEN SUSPECT MUKASA’S CAR
All had gone on well, but on his way to where he was going to spend a night, he made a stop over at the land where Kayunga district NRM Chairman Moses Karangwa allegedly evicted people.
Little did he know that Karangwa’s men were around and very much suspicious. On seing Mukasa getting out of the car, think to view the said land, they called Kitimbwa police.
Within a twinkle of an eye, a police patrol full of officers armed to teeth intercepted Mukasa’s car and ordered occupants to get out. It was coming to 7:30 pm.
On identification, they were directed to drive straight to Kitimbwa Police post in Bbaale as the patrol was following them.
The MP inquired why they were being arrested but none of the officers explained.
“At Kitimbwa we were briefly detained and later taken to Kayunga Police station at around mid night. Late night, I heard someone calling my name. I was taken out of the cell, together with my friends, we were thrown into a waiting drone van and it took the Kayunga-Jinja road. We did not realise how we ended up at Naggalama Police Station where I found my colleagues Hon. Charles Tebandeke (Bbaale) and Hon. Lukyamuzi David Kalwanga (Busujju).” Hon. Mukasa told us in an interview after his release.
The whole of Thursday (election day) and part of Friday, Hon. Mukasa and other detainees were still locked up at Naggalama police station. Late on Friday evening, the MPs and other arrested NUP leaders were taken to court where they were charged of disobeying lawful orders on curfew. Court however, released them on bail.
In our interview with Hon. Mukasa, he told this fastest growing news website that, “Arresting us did not stop the good people of Kayunga to vote for our candidate Harriet Nakweede. I am sure their victory will be reclaimed. However, It is absurd that all malpractice was done in front of electoral commission bosses.”
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