Kikuube councilor arrested over attempted assault of minister

Kikuube, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nestor Tumwesigye, the Kyangwali sub-county LC5 councilor in Kikuube district spent the night in police cells accused of attempting to assault the State Minister for Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama. The incident occurred on Wednesday during a sensitization meeting for the implementers of the  Parish development Model-PDM in the district.

Trouble started when most parish chiefs, community development officers-CDOs, and town clerks failed to show up for the meeting at the district headquarters prompting the minister to halt the meeting and order Chief Administrative Officer-CAO Milton Andrew Chelangat Kamalingin to trace for them.

Chelangat instructed the chiefs to rush for the meeting or else they face it rough prompting many to dash to the meeting venue. However, before the meeting could proceed, Amlan Tumusiime, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner-RDC informed the minister that some parish chiefs were extorting money from the PDM beneficiaries promising to help them to open bank accounts and form SACCOs yet the entire program is for free.

According to Tumusiime, the parish chiefs are extorting between Shillings 50,000 to Shillings 200,000 from the PDM beneficiaries. The minister couldn’t have any of this. He ordered the immediate arrest of the implicated parish chiefs, saying their actions are illegal. Byamukama’s directive to arrest the parish chiefs didn’t go down well with Tumwesigye who charged at the minister and attempted to assault him.

However, the minister’s security swung into action and apprehended the councilor, and whisked him off to Kikuube central police station. Commenting on the councilor’s act, Byamukama wondered why a leader would protect parish chiefs accused of extorting money from the public, saying that he could have been an accomplice. Byamukama halted the disbursement of funds to PDM beneficiaries until when all the irregularities are sorted out.

Tumwesigye was later transferred to Hoima city central police station where he is in custody. Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson confirmed the councilor’s detention, saying that they have preferred charges of threatening violence, sabotaging government programs, and obstruction.

The RDC has condemned the councilor’s conduct, saying it was a total shame for leaders in the district. This is not the first time Tumwesigye is being arrested over assault. In May, Tumwesigye was arrested for allegedly assaulting Zulia Nyakahara, the Kiziranfumbi town council female councillor, who also doubles as the district finance secretary on April 28, 2022, during a field visit by the Minister of State for Lands, Sam Mayanja to Nyairongo village in Kaseeta B Parish, Kabwoya sub-county.

The minister was in Kikuube to investigate the brutal eviction of over 20,000 people from Bugoma forest land that the Bunyoro Kingdom leased to Hoima sugar limited. The two councilors developed a misunderstanding for an unknown reason prompting Tumwesigye to slap Nyakahara. As a result, Nyakahara filed an assault case at Kikuube central police station vide SD Ref 38/28/04/2022. Police then commenced investigations into the case against the councilor that led to his arrest and detention.

He was later produced before the court and charged with assault and released on bail.

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URN