Six arrested for assaulting police officer in Mukono

Mukono, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police have arrested six people for assaulting a police constable at Ntawo cell in Mukono municipality.

The arrested persons were captured in video clips beating Andrew Mujuni, a constable from Mukono Police Division Field Force Unit whom they suspected to be part of a gang involved in armed robberies within the district.

Mujuni who is currently receiving treatment at Mengo Hospital was travelling on a police motorbike UP 4985 along with another constable who managed to escape the mob.

According to Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Oweyesigire, the officers were deployed at Ntawo following land fights between residents and Uganda Christian University casual labourers. The wrangle started after John Jjingo, the LCI Chairperson of Kitete in Mukono municipality, together with his family members forced UCU casual workers from a house with disputed ownership.

The building was later demolished. As a result, Mukono Deputy District Resident Commissioner, Henry Kitambula instructed police to deploy in the area as well as maintain the sitting tenant.

Isa Luwangula, one of Jjingo’s sons noted that they were encouraged by the State Minister for Lands, Dr Sam Mayanja to claim their plot when he appeared on a radio talk show and instructed all tenants who lost their plots to landlords to go back and reclaim them.

“Our officers were on their way to Ntawo Trading Centre when some residents sounded an alarm accusing them of being thieves. In the process, residents managed to seize one and injured him severely,” Oweyesigire notes, adding that in the process, another police constable fired bullets to disperse the mob.

John Lemi, the manager for Ntawo land at UCU holdings says several of their casual workers at UCU farm have now abandoned the place while others fear associating with the community.

This is not the first incident of mob justice to happen at Ntawo land, since the university embarked on the process of developing it in 2016. On the same contested land also a full house of bishops survived lynching by a mob.

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