Police in Kampala has in custody one of its own, Constable Alex Turyatunga on a case of unlawful wounding of a civilian after he shot a voter at Kikaaya A polling Station in Kisaasi, Kampala District.
According to the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire, Turyatunga was dispersing a rowdy crowd at the polling station when he hit one Joseph Lutwama, one of the voters protesting delays in polling activities.
Chaos ensued when residents learnt that only 300 voters had been verified by 4 pm, an activity which was supposed to end by midday, according to a roadmap issued by the Electoral Commission. Angry voters argued that several other people had walked away after waiting for so many hours without voting.
Out of the 4,000 registered voters, only about four hundred voters were remaining at the polling station at the time of the incident. The shooting happened when Turyatunga had escorted the Kira Road Divisional Police Commander Michael Kasigire to reinforce the polling constable who was overwhelmed by the situation. Owoyesigyire says the officer has been arrested and is currently detained as investigations proceed.
He also faces a charge of flouting guidelines by the Electoral Commission which barred armed personnel from accessing polling stations or being anywhere near them.
