By Ben Musanje
Police have accused Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament Betty Nambooze Bakireke of mobilizing the public to attack armed security personnel, warning that she will be charged once her political season ends.
The accusation follows the circulation of a viral video in which Hon. Nambooze is heard speaking at a campaign rally in Mukono and making remarks that authorities say amount to incitement to violence. In the footage, she suggests that the police and the army could be overpowered, disarmed, and harmed because of their small numbers compared to Uganda’s population.
Nambooze reportedly claimed that Uganda’s security forces total about 150,000 officers, while the country’s population stands at approximately 45 million people, statements police say were intended to provoke hostility against security agencies.
Addressing the media at a press conference held on Monday at the Police Headquarters in Naguru, Police Spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke said authorities had deliberately refrained from making an immediate arrest.
Rusoke explained that acting now would give the legislator political mileage, which police believe may have been the intention behind the remarks.
He further stated that police had noted the circulation of videos showing political leaders making reckless statements encouraging the public to overpower security officers on the basis that they are few in number. According to him, Nambooze mobilized people to attack police officers, disarm them, and cause them harm.
Police described the remarks as highly reckless, unacceptable, and dangerous, stressing that even during intense political competition, there must be clear limits to such statements.
Rusoke added that security forces protect all citizens, including political leaders, and warned that cases against Nambooze and other political actors making similar statements have already been documented.
He emphasized that police would not act in a way that gives politicians political advantage and that those involved would be brought to account at a time when they could no longer benefit politically.
Police reiterated that incitement to violence constitutes a criminal offence and clarified that while immediate action had been delayed, accountability remained inevitable. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
