The Uganda Police yesterday (17th July 2024) arrested six residents of Kasokoso in Wakiso District for allegedly inciting violence and vandalizing a police vehicle.
The arrested individuals were part of a disgruntled group of residents who had turned up for a meeting convened by Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Semujju Nganda to discuss the looming eviction of residents from a wetland in the area.
The six residents, who were arrested during the scuffle, will be arraigned in court this week.
The residents had gathered upon a call from their MPs Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda and Ronald Balimwezo and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago to discuss matters impending eviction and land compensation issues.
Kira Municipality Ssemujju and residents had gathered in a heated negotiation after they were blocked from accessing the planned venue for the meeting.
Shortly after Lord Mayor Lukwago arrived and attempted to reason with the police but that, too, did not help.
“We had planned an engagement with the people, an impromptu one, because tomorrow we meet NEMA. There are issues pending eviction by NEMA and compensation,” he said from inside the van.
The National Environment Management Authority NEMA has been enforcing the eviction of dwellers from wetlands to restore the valued environmental segment of water catchment areas.
“NEMA Should be the last one talking about the destruction of wetlands but if they are to do it, let them follow the right procedures and do it in a human way possible,” he said.
Last month, the environment watchdog took down hundreds of households in Lubigi wetland and served eviction notices to several other such dwellers, including in Bwaise.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesman Patrick Onyango says that owing to the massive mobilization of the people to demonstrate, security agencies resolved not to allow such a meeting to take place. Secondly, Onyango said, “They had not notified the police.”
According to Onyango, security had to deploy at the venue to prevent them from going ahead with their planned meeting.
“Police tried to engage the leaders, but they vowed to go ahead with their meeting. They moved away and started addressing people in the middle of the road blocking traffic and inconveniencing other people.Police used reasonable force to disperse the crowd that had gathered,” added Onyango.