Rukutana must answer for his deeds- Museveni
President Museveni has for the first time commented about the conduct of State Minister for Labour and Industrial Development Mwesigwa Rukutana during the NRM primaries on Friday.
Following his defeat to Naome Kabasharira, Rukutana turned chaotic and in the scuffle, he grabbed a gun from one of his bodyguards and shot and injured one person who was rushed to hospital in critical condition whereas one vehicle was also destroyed.
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The minister was on Saturday arrested together with his three bodyguards and are currently detained at Mbarara Central Police Station and according to police, the quartet faces charges related to inciting violence, attempted murder and malicious damage.
However, in his latest missive, Museveni, who is also the NRM national chairman has said that the former deputy Attorney General must answer charges related to the violence he orchestrated after losing the election.
“The Minister Rukutana is in jail and will be prosecuted,”Museveni said.
Speaking in general about all forms of chaos exhibited during the party’s election to pick flagbearers in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, Museveni said those who orchestrated the same will face the wrath of the law.
“Those who beat people, like in Bukono, are all in jail or on the run. They will be fully accountable with robust charges; assault, attempted murder, murder etc. Those who altered results, will go to jail on forgery, fraud, subversion etc. and their forgeries will not stand,” he said.
Lining up was a success
The ruling NRM party used lining up behind candidates for the first time since being adopted by the party’s top organs early this year.
Whereas many including candidates who lost and election observers argued that lining up during the just concluded NRM primaries compromised the vote and ignored principles of a free and fair election, Museveni said the system was a success.
The NRM national party chairman explained that problems of voter bribery started with the Electoral College system of voting prompting them to go for universal suffrage but with the secret ballot which he said neither helped the situation.
“Still, the problems of cheating persisted because whatever precautions we took, they depended on human vigilance, which was not always assured. That is why, recently, at the Chobe CEC Conference, we decided to go for lining up. You have seen how it has succeeded,”Museveni said.
“It is transparent for everybody to see during daylight.”
He insisted that with lining up behind candidates, alteration of results as had been exhibited during the secret ballot will now be a story of the past in the party’s primaries.
https://nilepost.co.ug/2020/09/06/museveni-speaks-out-on-chaos-during-nrm-primaries/
