Fourtime Forum for Democratic Change-FDC presidential candidate Dr. Kiiza Besigye is being held by Isingiro police.
URN said Besigye and two other FDC party officials were intercepted at a police check point at Ruborogota.
Stanley Katembeya, the Western Region FDC Party Chairman and Eric Baino, the Secretary for mobilisation and the Elderly were picked up from Kajaho trading center in Kikagate Sub County this morning.
The two had traveled from Mbarara to Kajaho trading center where Dr. Besigye was expected to sensitize residents on land matters under his “My land my Life” campaign.
Police also ordered residents to vacate Kajaho market and confiscated documents containing the day’s program. The two had travelled from Mbarara ahead of Besigye’s arrival to the district.
Moses Muzima, the Isingiro District Police Commander, says they arrested the FDC officials for attempting to hold a rally in the market place and refugee settlement without police clearance.
Shortly after his arrest, Katembeya said police have decided to deploy all over the district to scare residents from attending the rally. He however, said the rallies would on as planned despite their arrest.
Police recently warned Besigye against holding public rallies saying it was in breach of the law and.
In a statement, Police spokesperson Asan Kasingye stated that in spite of the fact that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen. Kale Kayihura had written to FDC advising them to comply with the provision of the law in a letter dated 1st May, the party had defiantly ignored the said advise.
Kasingye noted that the ongoing sensitization rallies being conducted by FDC were against the Public Order Management Act 2013 (POMA) and that Police would now act should they continue.
“Today May 5, 2017, Col. (Rtd) Kiiza Besigye together with other senior FDC members, in contravention of section 5 of the Public Order Management Act 2013, held an unlawful public meeting in Kyankwanzi. They had previously held similar meetings in Kyegegwa and May 2, and Mubende on May 3, 2017 and intend to go to other areas,” Kasingye noted.
“The Uganda Police Force would like to warn FDC to desist from this blatant violation of the law of which the Police shall take legal action against the culprits,” Kasingye noted.
He also appealed to the members of the public to desist from attending the assemblies and to ignore the messages of incitement and disobedience from the party members.
The POMA law requires one to seek Police permission to hold a meeting of more than three people.
The FDC leader recently launched a campaign against land grabbing dubbed ‘My Land, My Life’.
FDC claims the campaign is meant to mobilise Ugandans to resist all forms of land grabbing by government and its agents.
