Police in Hoima district have arrested 12 members of the Forum for Democratic Change party over voter bribery.
The Albertine region police spokesperson, Mr Julius Hakiza says the group was arrested last night from different parts of the district for allegedly bribing voters and threatening to cause harm in today’s woman MP by-election.
“They were engaging in criminal activities which we could not allow, we have charged them with voter bribery,” said Mr Hakiza.
The FDC deputy secretary General, Mr Harold Kaija, confirmed the arrests but further alleges that the arrests are intended to divert the opposition as the votes are rigged.
“My colleagues were with MP Barnabas Tinkasiimire but he managed to escape. These people were in the field mapping out the various polling stations in the district, it is not true that they were distributing sugar to voters” said Mr Kaija.
Meanwhile Mr Hakiza has denied knowledge of the attack on Kayunga district NRM chairperson Mr Moses Karangwa who was accused of vote rigging.
However a trending social media video shows a group of FDC youths storming a house in Hoima municipality this afternoon, in which Karangwa was accused of rigging votes.
The hotly contested Hoima woman MP race is between NRM’s Businge Mugenyi and FDC’s Asinansi Nyakato.
The seats fell vacant after the areas MP Tophas Kaahwa opted to represent newly created Kikuube district which became operational on 1st July.
