{UAH} Police Clear MP Otto One-Milllion-Youth Rally Against Mbabazi///

 

 

 

Police Clear MP Otto One-Milllion-Youth Rally Against Mbabazi

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Otto's anti-Mbabazi procession has been cleared by Police boss, Gen Kale Kayihura

By: Dickens H Okello

• Jul 7,2015
• 335 Viewed
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Police chief Gen Kale Kayihura has given a green light to controversial Aruu County MP, Odonga Otto's request to organise a procession of youth protesting presidential hopeful Amama Mbabazi's planned consultation meetings in Northern Uganda.

"No objection," Gen Kayihura wrote on Otto's document seeking permission to hold the rally.

However, Kayihura said the head of police operations must ensure that Otto's group members "fulfil all the obligations of the Public Order Management Act."

The group is planning to hold a peaceful march to Karuma, demanding for the refund of the billions of shillings misappropriated under the watch of Mbabazi in the Office of the Prime Minister, which led to the temporary withdraw of foreign aid from a number of donors in 2013.

Otto said he was mobilising one million youth to grace the walk on July 10.

About Shs 50 billion meant for the Peace Recovery and Development Fund [PRDP] was stolen between 2011 and 2012.

Parliament however, later cleared Mbabazi all wrongdoing, following President Museveni's intervention through the ruling NRM caucus.

According to MP Otto's information to Parliament, Shs 600m was diverted from PRDP to buy a Mercedes Benz for then Prime Minister Mbabazi, and another Shs 800m used for another armoured Land Cruiser.

Odonga recently told the meeting of leaders from Northern Uganda that Mbabazi must refund the misappropriated money before he thinks of travelling to the northern region to drum up support for his presidential bid.

According to Mbabazi's programme, he will start with Mbale in eastern Uganda on Thursday, June 9 before heading to Kapchorwa on July 10.

Otto had earlier warned that if Mbabazi insisted on going to Northern Uganda, the people there would have to take the law in their hands.

He went ahead to call upon all locals in the region, not to vote Mbabazi or any other person that was implicated in the PRDP scandal.

Speaking at a press conference in Kampala on Monday, Mbabazi said police do not have the mandate to stop his consultation meetings.

"Of course he (Gen Kayihura) has no power to stop me from going for my meetings as scheduled. Even if they put 'mambas' at my gate, I would jump over them and proceed with my journey," Mbabazi observed.

"Nothing stops me from enjoying freedoms like any other Ugandan is allowed to move to any part of the country they wish," he added.

Gen Kayihura last week wrote to Mbabazi, informing him that, "Your programme of public meetings is not cleared by police and cannot go ahead as you intended until, as requested by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, you first harmonise the position in your letter of introduction to the Electoral Commission and that of your party- the NRM."

And basing on communications from Electoral Commission and NRM Secretary General, Kasule Lumumba, Kayihura assured Mbabazi: "It is clear that your (Mbabazi) party has neither sponsored nor endorsed you as an aspirant within the meaning of the NRM constitution and law, and that you have no locus standi to hold public meetings as prospective presidential flag bearer of the NRM Political Organisation and/or presidential aspirant, and that your aspirations are illegal."

 

J.N Munyoganda