Uganda’s Presidential hopeful, Lt.Gen.Henry Tumukunde arrested and detained
On Thursday, 12th March, a group of soldiers from the Uganda Polie Defence Forces (UPDF) arrested Lt.Gen.Henry Tumukunde from his home in Kololo.
The presidential hopeful and former Security Minister Tumukunde was arrested and taken to Kibuli CID headquarters to record a statement however, details about his arrest are still very unclear.
Particular sources indicated that by 7:30 pm, Tumukunde’s office was under siege by security operatives including a team of CIID and CMI operatives who entered his Kololo office and carried out a search.
Minutes after the raid, Gen Tumukunde sent a clarification message through his social media platforms informing the general public that he had been arrested.
“Comrades, I have been surrounded by army officers at my private office in Kololo. Stay United. Details to follow, I have been arrested. This will not stop our resolve,” his statement read.
Tumukunde’s arrest comes just a few days after he declared his intention to run for the Presidency in the upcoming 2021 general elections.
This will not be the first time the controversial retired UPDF general is arrested.
In 2005, Tumukunde was arraigned before the General Court Martial in Makindye and charged with abuse of office and spreading harmful propaganda stemming from his comments.
Tumukunde who in 2016 campaigned for President Museveni about two weeks back expressed his interest in standing against him in the forthcoming 2021 general elections.
Last week, the former Security Minister wrote a letter to the Electoral Commission requesting permission to allow him to organize consultation meetings concerning his presidential bid.
The Electoral Commission chairman, Justice Simon Byabakama has since given him a green light to consult.
We shall wait to see if the police are ready to permit the former Security minister a chance of holding any consultation meetings because in recent months they have been denying opposition candidates from holding any of their public meetings with voters.
With the most recent incident happening on February, 24 when police were heavily deployed at Pope Paul Memorial Hotel in Ndeeba to deny people power initiator Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine the chance of holding his consultation meeting.
This took the total to four of Bobi Wine’s meetings that the police had cancelled in addition to the three that had been called off earlier this year.
