Bunyangabu Resident District Commissioner Jane Asiimwe, who was part of the operation says that the district Covid-19 Rapid Response Team was struggling to do its job due to lack of vehicles. She explains that the district has only two vehicles that were used by a team of over ten members to traverse the whole district in response to alerts in relation to COVID-19.
The vehicle is now parked at the district headquarters. Mugarama had put a public address system on it and was senstizing the residents on Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
The Bunyangabu district chairman James Ategeka
Mugarama has been arrested for refusing to hand over the district vehicle in line with a presidential directive.
President Yoweri Museveni recently directed that all government vehicles be
parked at the district headquarters with the exception of those that belong to
the health departments. This was one of the measures to limit movements in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the Rwenzori West Police Spokesperson Vincent
Twesige, Mugarama had always been told to abide by the directive but could not
heed until Monday evening when the double cabin, a Ford Ranger Reg. No. UG
3463R was found roaming around the district.
//Cue in; “He was arrested…
Cue out… and was arrested.”//
Bunyangabu Resident District Commissioner Jane Asiimwe, who was part of the operation says that the district
Covid-19 Rapid Response Team was struggling to do its job due
to lack of vehicles. She explains that the district has only two vehicles that were used by a team of over ten members to traverse
the whole district in response to alerts in relation to COVID-19.
Asiimwe was bitter that after the driver had
parked the vehicle at the district headquarters, Mugarama went back and drove it away
and attempted to beat her when he was stopped.
//Cue in; “We are saying…
Cue out…car at police.”//
But Mugarama says forcing him to park the vehicle was unrealistic because he
was using it to sensitize the public to prevent COVID-19 after realizing that most of the residents were not following
the preventive measures.
He says he had hired two people to work on the public address system that was
on the double cabin and was also going to supply at least a handwashing facility to
each of the twelve Sub counties and town councils in the district.
By the time of filling this report, Mugarama was still being held at Bunyangabu
Police Headquarters in Kibiito town council. Twesige says his file is being
prepared and he will face the law.
