Minister Mwesigwa Rukutana who drew a gun and shot at travelers after his defeat to Naome Kabasharira in the Ntungamo NRM party primaries has been arrested together with his three body guards .
Deputy Police spokesperson Polly Namaye in a statement said that police in Ntungamo had arrested and detained Rukutana together with his three bodyguards following a shooting incident in which one person was seriously injured.
Police said that the minister and his three bodyguards will face charges related to inciting violence, attempted murder and malicious damage to property.
In a social media post President Museveni ordered for the immediate arrest of the former Attorney General to answer charges related to violence during the NRM primaries. “There are shallow people who resort to shallow schemes to steal the power of the people. These do the following: bribing, intimidation, altering declaration forms, even attacking and injuring people, using the underage to vote, importing voters from other areas etc.
We should not allow crooks to pollute our massive force that you saw yesterday. Down with crooks. I am not Tanga Odoi but my entering from the criminal side, which is my Constitutional duty as President, will help Tanga Odoi,” Museveni stated .
Rukutana was one of many senior and junior ministers that lost in the hotly contested NRM primaries for flag bearers in the run up to the 2021 general elections. In Jinja and Mbale rival candidates and their supporters engaged in fist fights accusing each other of manipulating the final tally results . By Saturday afternoon in many constituencies official results were yet to be announced .
Isolate cases of goons beating and intimidating voters were reported in some villages and police said they were investigating the reported cases .
