UGANDA: Four Mukula activists arrested

By Agencies

Four members of the Etem Iteso subcommittee of Mukula 118 who were picked up on Wednesday evening, have been taken to unknown locations.

The arrested include former Amuria chairperson Julius Ocen, speaker of Soroti Municipality Honorant Okello, former NRM district treasurer Jonathan Ebwalu and former Soroti County MP candidate Jimmy Oriokot.

The four were picked up ahead of a fundraising drive for the jailed former health minister and Soroti Municipality MP Mike Mukula.

Mr Ocen was picked up from Shell fuel station in Soroti by security agents who had trailed his vehicle from Soroti Hotel where he attended a meeting.

Mr Ebwalu and Mr Okello were detained when they went to Soroti Police Station to inquire about their arrested colleagues.

Ms Ruth Ocen, the wife to Mr Ocen, said she received information from some security agents that her husband was transferred to Bukedea Police Station, while Mr Okello, Mr Oriokot and Mr Ebwalu were held in Kumi District Police Station.

Suspects ‘missing’

She said she went to Soroti Police Station to check on her husband, but was told he was not there. The relatives of the other suspects also visited several police stations but did not find them.

Mr Juma Hassan Nyene, the Kyoga East Police spokesperson, declined to reveal where the suspects are being held, but stressed that they are in police custody.

Earlier on, Mr Nyene said the suspects were wanted in connection to their utterances on radio last month, claiming that President Museveni was responsible for the suffering of people in Teso region.

Source: Daily Monitor (22/02/2013): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Four-Mukula-activists-arrested-/-/688334/1700986/-/uf1drr/-/index.html