Masaka, Uganda | URN | The Lwemiyaga County Member of Parliament, Theodore Ssekikubo is blaming his current woes on Security Minister, General Elly Tumwine.
Ssekikubo is currently locked up at Masaka Central Police Station following his arrest on Friday 10th this week for mobilizing residents to defy the livestock quarantine, reopen livestock markets and inciting violence against law enforcement officers in Sembabule district.
However, the legislator accuses Tumwine of enforcing the quarantine to create a monopoly and profiteer from cattle trade with his business associates at the expense of local livestock farmers.
He claims that although there hasn’t been any confirmed case of the Foot and Mouth Disease in Lwemiyiga county, the Security has insisted on closing cattle markets in total disregard of the provisions in the Animal Diseases Act that only mandates the Commissioner Animal Health to issue such directives.
Ssekikubo indicates that prior to his arrest on Friday hundreds of residents petitioned parliament on Tuesday complaining about the persecution by the security Minister disguised in enforcement of quarantine.
According to Ssekikubo, enforcing a false quarantine in Lwemiyaga is a deliberate plot to compel farmers to sell off their livestock at a giveaway price in markets in the neighboring districts that are already manipulated by Gen. Tumwine’s associates.
Geofrey Muzunga, the Chairperson of Nabitanga Sub county in Sembabule has cried to President Yoweri Museveni to reign over the situation in the area, arguing that it is going to cripple residents financially without justification.
General Tumwine strongly rebuffed the allegations leveled against him when contacted on phone, describing is accusers as hopeless fellows craving for public sympathy after committing offenses.
He has also threatened to drag his accusers to courts of law for maligning his repute with false allegations.
Asked about his role in enforcing the Quarantine in Sembabule district, Gen. Tumwime observed he is directly responsible for averting all forms of insecurity including inciting people into violence in his capacity as Security Minister.
