The Chief of Logistics, Brig. Charles Otema Awany has directed the sub-county chairpersons of National Resistance Movement (NRM) to form NRM security groups to handle opposition cliques intimidating their supporters.
Brig. Otema says NRM supporters in the villages are being intimidated by a clique of opposition members who should be suppressed by a rival faction.
“Identify potential youth that will help to counter the intimidations of the opposition. Acholi sub-region has gone through a lot. This must stop,” he said.
He said in the past elections, people were being forced to vote for opposition which was against their will after being intimidated.
Brig. Otema also asked presidential aspirants to stop using politics of intimidation in their campaign rallies but rather concentrate on issues that affect the local people.
The Brig. made the remarks on Sunday in Tetuku village, Koro sub-county in Gulu district where over 400 members of opposition crossed to NRM.
He asked the community to rightly put to use the money government is sending for different programmes noting that it might be of waste.
“Men have abandoned their responsibilities to women and concentrated on drinking. This is crippling development at house hold level,” he said.
The new converts were received by the district party chairman, Okello Douglas Peter who commended them for the wise decision taken.
Watdog Francisco Awori who lost in the MRM party primaries for Member of Parliament Tochi County, said creating a parallel group of people would instead cause more crimes in the area.
Awori, who is now contesting as councillor Koro sub-county as independent, said there are already well down structures of crime preventers and the Police, who can intervene in case of intimidation.
The contestant, who defected to NRM mid this year from FDC, expressed concern that the recruited youth may be too expectant and yet there’s no money to pay them.
The Gulu district NRM boss Okello, said Brig’s comment never meant to ask the sub-county NRM chairpersons to use parallel structures, but the existing ones.
Okello, however, said as the NRM chairperson, all the party activities must be in conformity with the law and any illegal activity that jeopardizes the freedom of another party shall not be allowed.“We have cases of our people being intimidated, harassed and beaten by opposition.
Four of these cases have been reported to the Police for guidance,” he said.
In October 2015, the Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura vowed to crash all militia groups, noting that they are illegal while presiding over the passing out of 300 Police officers at the Non-Commissioned Officers at Gaddafi in Jinja, Kayihura said militias created by Maj. Roland Kakooza Mutale and Erias Lukwago would not be given opportunity to operate.
