Drama ensued in Lamwo district after the Resident District Commissioner, James Nabinsion Kidega ordered the arrest of Sergeant Joseph Otema, the Officer in Charge of Madi Opei Police Post in for violating the ban on public transport as part of the COVID-19 preventive measures.
Otema was arrested alongside four other people and are being held at Madi Opei Police Post after they were intercepted in a taxi carrying seven travelers from Kitgum to Lamwo district.
The other travelers are identified as; Livingston Okwera, Henry Nsereko, Eric Odwar and Stephen Rubangakene. According to Kidega, he was on routine surveillance when he intercepted a taxi registration number UAW 871L at Okol village with the travelers.
The driver identified as Samuel Ochieng upon interrogation told the RDC that he had been cleared by Otema to transport the passengers and their luggage.
Meanwhile, Otema who sounded remorseful, said Eric Odwar requested to use the taxi to tow a vehicle he had used to transport construction material from Kampala to Madi Opei but broke down in Mucwini in Kitgum district.
The public transportation will only be allowed to start operating on 4th June after the exercise of distributing free face masks by government is concluded. Even with just a week to the said date, government is yet to begin the exercise.
