The Jinja Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Eric Sakwa has labelled former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader Dr Kizza Besigye a desert locust who is an unwanted visitor in the district.
Sakwa told the press that whenever Besigye visits, he causes chaos and that is why they don’t want him in Jinja anymore.
“Whenever Besigye visits Jinja, he causes chaos and we don’t want that in Jinja. This is why he was arrested yesterday,” Sakwa said.
Sakwa also likened Besigye to an unwanted desert locust and said he should not go back to Jinja.
The declaration follows Besigye’s arrest by police on Wednesday evening.
Besigye was expected in Jinja on Wednesday to address a rally in Kazimingi market but police got intelligence that he was residing at Paradise Hotel which is affiliated to the Sunset Hotel where he spent the night.
Employees at both hotels who preferred anonymity said that Besigye’s presence at the hotel raised eyebrows after the management stopped receiving new visitors as soon as Besigye entered.
Besigye’s vehicle was towed away from the hotel by a UPDF truck, which took him to Nalufenya Police Station for detention.
According to Besigye, it was police and the UPDF that disrupted business at the hotel because he had not done anything wrong by checking into the hotel.
“After a day’s detention, there’s no charge and or even release on police bond. It is just political thuggery using police. That is why,” Besigye said in a tweet.
Besigye said that his car tyre got punctured in the process.
The stand off between Besigye and police caused a number of demonstrations in Jinja as his supporters demanded his release.
Sakwa’s reference to desert locusts is in relation to the crisis the country is currently battling after the insects entered Ugandan territory. Desert locusts are herbivorous and can stay in one place for 17 hours and if strong enough, can range 3000 miles in their lifetime and an average of 50-300km per day.
A swarm estimated to be of about 3,000 locusts entered Uganda through Amudat on February 9, 2020 before another batch that entered the country through Turkana to Moroto and Nabilatuk districts, hours later.
Government earmarked at least 11 billion shillings to fight the locusts. On February 25, 2020, another shs 16 billion shillings was passed by cabinet. Locusts have ravaged Horn of Africa countries since late last year.
