By Peter Kanyike
Kawempe North By-election turns bloody as security forces attack and clobber journalist while covering the election. At least 13 journalists have tasted the brutality of the Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force (JATT) and UPDF who beat up those who hasted to vacate the polling centre at Kawempe Mbogo Mosque having been ordered by the forces to leave the place.
The heavily armed forces ordered every journalist to lie down and cover their faces and the those who hasted were hit with hard wooden sticks and two sustained severe injuries and have been since hospitalized.
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) deputy spokesperson Chris Magezi when contacted via phone said the violence because of misunderstanding and miss-coordination.
“ We do not intend to harm anybody during elections but there was a miss-coordination and shall investigate the matter and punish whoever is miss behaved,’’ he said.
Citing heavy violence, Editors of leading media houses in the country like the Nation Media Group ordered their reporters to leave election field and go back to their stations.
There are 10 candidates in Kawempe North by-election but the main rivalry is between NUP’s Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola and the ruling NRM party’s Faridah Nambi.
