Police in Jinja have Friday evening deployed heavily at Jinja Central Police Station following a raid by Opposition supporters on the station led by Jinja East MP elect Paul Mwiru.
Hunreds of Mr Mwiru’s supporters went to the police station demanding that their mates be released since police were holding them without charges.
Mr Mwiru refused to heed police officers’ requests to calm his supporters and leave the station. He demanded that they will only leave after the suspects are released.
Police earlier said they had arrested 11 people for allegedly disrupting Thursday’s Jinja East MP by-election.
Kiira region police spokesperson Diana Nandaula told journalists that the arrested people were interfering with the electoral process at different polling stations.
She said the suspects who are being held at Jinja CPS face charges of threatening violence, voter bribery and malicious damage to property.
Mr Mwiru won the by-election with 6,654 votes, beating main challenger, NRM’s Igeme Nathan Nabeta who polled 5,043 votes and six others.
Meanwhile NRM party secretary general Justin Kasulen Lumumba earlier on Friday told jounralists that the party is planning to challenge the victory of Mr Mwiru .
Ms Lumumba, flanked by Mr Nabeta and Jinja West MP Joseph Balyeku at the Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja said they have recorded cases of multiple voting, voter bribery, voter intimidation and violence.
“We have evidence of multiple voting of known members of the Opposition at various polling stations, voter bribery and intimidation – where known NRM supporters were warned of dire consequences should the NRM emerge victorious.”
She said “goons were stationed” at NRM supporters’ homes to deter them from accessing polling stations.
Ms Lumumba said, the party leadership was studying the evidence for an appropriate course of action.
