State Minister for Labour Mwesigwa Rukutana has been charged and remanded to prison.
Rukutana was charged with seven counts of attempted murder, assault causing bodily harm, malicious damage and threatening violence.
Court preside over by Grade One Magistrate Nazifah Namayanja heard from prosecution that the Minister who is also the Rushenyi county MP on September 5, 2020 at Kagugu village in Ntungamo district, unlawfully attempted to cause the death of a one Daniel Rweburungi.
The prosecution also claims the Minister damaged the victim’s car reg number UAR 840X and also verbally threatened to kill him.
President Museveni earlier today said Rukutana will face the courts of law over last week’s violence in Rushenyi county during the NRM primaries.
Rukutana was arrested on Saturday by police in Ntungamo together with his three escorts following a shooting incident in Ruhama, Ntungamo district in which one person was seriously injured and a motor vehicle damaged during the NRM primaries a day before.
“The victim was rushed to hospital in critical condition while the suspects are in detention on charges of inciting violence, attempted murder by shooting and malicious damage,” Polly Namaye, the Deputy Police Spokesperson said.
In his statement on Monday, Museveni disclosed that Rukutuna will be prosecuted for the offences he committed.
“The cheating in the NRM Primaries is over. Those who beat People, like in Bukono, are all in jail or on the run. Minister Rukutana is in jail and will be prosecuted. They will be fully accountable with robust charges: assault, attempted murder, murder etc,” The President said.
According to the president, the NRM members he described as “shallow crooks” still think they can bribe, intimidate, assault or alter results of the obvious that was witnessed by hundreds by lining up.
“This is an incredible shallowness,” he added.
In a video that made rounds on social media over the weekend, Rukutana is seen picking an AK47 rifle from his police guard and advancing towards a car occupied by unidentified people.
The guard then quickly removes the magazine from the gun, preventing the minister from shooting people.
The incident followed unprecedented violence in Rubaare (the minister’s home town) where Rukutana is battling Naome Kabasharira in the Rushenyi NRM MP primaries.
Voting in some parts of Rushenyi, Ntungamo District, Western Uganda, were on Friday postponed over violence.
However, Rukutana defended himself saying that he was forced to pick a gun from his guard to to protect himself from armed people.
But his rivals say he was bribing people at his home which they raided to collect evidence.
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