By Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu,
BUHWEJU
Buhweju County MP, Hon. Mwijukye Francis, was brutally attacked by a group of hired thugs on 12th May, 2024 while attempting to intervene in a land dispute in Rwanyamabare Nyakishana subcounty.
The assailants, reportedly from outside the district, were allegedly hired by a land grabber Kamugisha Frank who has been encroaching on Rwanyamabaare Catholic church land. A Christian from the church told our reporter that Kamugisha claims the land belongs to him yet the Catholic Church has been using it for the last twenty six years.
Tito a member of the same church revealed that the church leadership on 28th April, write a letter through the area LC1 chairman to the Resident District Commissioner about threats from Kamugisha but instead the RDC and DPC seem to work for Kamugisha.
According to eyewitnesses, the MP was officiating a church function when locals informed him of the presence of over 10 armed men, who had been housed in the land Kamugisha’s residence adjacent to the church. When the MP, accompanied by church leaders, approached the group, they were met with violence, and the MP was seriously injured in the head with pangas and nails.
Police arrived at the scene and evacuated the MP, who is currently receiving treatment and is reported to be out of danger. The LCV Chairperson, Deo Atuhaire Omuhatizi, has called for calm and urged the police to explain how these criminals were able to operate in the area without their knowledge.
This incident marks the second such attack on an MP in the district, following a previous incident in Kibarya Nyakitoko where private security personnel threatened to shoot Hon. Biraro.
An emergency district security meeting has been convened to address the issue and hunt down the culprits and the public has been urged to remain calm as the government security apparatus works to resolve the situation.
