By KT Reporter
National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate for Lira City Woman Member of Parliament has cautioned her supporters against wearing yellow attir as election- related violence escalates.
Health Minister and the incumbent Woman MP, Dr. Jane Aceng Ocero sounded the warning on Monday after some of her supporters and agents were allegedly beaten and cut in the wee hours of Sunday night.
The victims whose identities have not been revealed includes a mother and her little girl whose jawbone was even shattered, are receiving care at Lira Regional Referral Hospital (LRRH.)
Aceng , who believes the violence was orchestrated by people from her opponent’s camps says individuals wearing yellow T-shirts are being targeted. Yellow, is the party colour of the ruling NRM.The party has been giving out yellow shirts during the campaigns od candidate Museveni and the NRM candidates during the campaigns.
Aceng is cotesting with Minister of Gender Betty Amongi Akena, a Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party candidate, to represent the people of Lira City as the woman MP.
She explained that “they went ahead and bought a lot of yellow t-shirts; they have yellow t-shirts with my opponent’s pictures, they have also bought yellow t-shirts with my pictures, they also have yellow t-shirts with Mzee Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s pictures, the president of Uganda.”
Aceng also accused the police of neglecting their duties by refusing to record statements of the complainant in this violent case.
“I know that the duty of the police is to ensure peace and security but when they are not taking action to ensure peace and security, then it is very unfortunate, very unfortunate,” she said.
Further lamenting that “yesterday, the same police, after arresting the people who are distributing the voter bribery materials, the kitenge materials, released them but this is not the way to go. They should not just be released, they should make statements and they should be taken before the courts of law.”
She then implored Amongi to embrace peace saying it will benefit everyone. “Violence is a choice and everyone, anyone can inflict violence on anyone but Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero and all our supporters have chosen peace from the onset, from the time when we began campaigns, we have chosen peace.”
Meanwhile, Amongi has on several occasions accused Aceng of being the one causing violence in the political sprees of Lira City- linking her to recent allegation of kidnap of a member of her media team who later re- surfaced unharmed. She is however, sure of protection for both her herself and her supporters by the security.
“I have never seen in the history of politics of Lango where an opponent in a competitive politics can orchestrate the kidnapping of a supporter or somebody who is selling the manifesto of another candidate.” She said.
On the other side, Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga Police Public Relations Officer confirmed having confiscated Kitenge materials branded with Betty Amongi’s pictures which were being distributed at night, and violence inflicted on some NRM supporters. He explained why the suspects arrested distributing the Kitenge materials were released, adding that investigations into both matters are ongoing.
“We got intelligence from different sources that there were a team who were distributing kitenge and some other items to individuals. Our teams quickly went on ground and confiscated all those items- the kitenges which we have.” He said. Adding “there was also another team which went and attacked some group of people and as I talk now there are about six people have been injured and they are receiving treatment at LRRH.”
However, Okema warned the public against misinformation and propaganda being peddled by either supports or the candidates themselves.
So far violence have been reported in Lira City, Erute South, Apac and Amolatar district where supporters are attacking themselves on behalf of the candidates, and police is calling for calmness and peace.
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