Chadema candidate arrested

BY LUSEKELO PHILEMON

Daraja Mbili ward councillor candidate for Chadema ticket, Prosper Msofe, has been arrested for allegedly beating up a man who was commissioned by Arusha City Council to carry out campaign against petty traders who were conducting business at unregistered areas.

Msofe is currently admitted at Mount Meru Hospital nursing wounds after being allegedly beaten up by police who went to arrest him, in connection with the incident.

It was reported that Msofe was arrested for allegedly beating up Ramadhani Karamba (56), an agent commissioned by the city council of Arusha to campaign against petty traders doing business at unregistered areas.

Arusha Regional Police Commander, Liberatus Sabas, told reporters yesterday that, on Monday at around 8:30pm, Msofe was arrested after attacking Karamba who was busy executing his duties commissioned by the council.

“When Karama was making the announcement that petty traders were supposed to get off unregistered areas, Msofe interrupted him before starting beating him up…this lead into a commotion at the Friends’ corner area,” the RPC said.

RPC Sabas said that police were tipped off by a good Samaritans that there were fights in the area; police rushed to the area and arrest Msofe.

Karama opened a police file number AR/RB/12648/2012.

He however said that after reaching the Police Central Station, Msofe purposely denied to be bailed out, for what he described as “sending a message” to the authorities concern.

Msofe however denied that he attacked the man, though agreed that he has asked him why he was taking peoples’ properties, taking into account that it was the middle of the night and offices of Arusha city council were closed.

However, Chadema District Secretary, Martin Sarungi, said police denied them to bail their candidate on that particular night.

Early yesterday morning, Msofe was taken to the hospital as he was complaining of spinal cord ache, for what he claimed to have been caused by the beating got from the police officers in collaboration with city council militia.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (11/10/2012): http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=46801