Bonny Desales Okello, the MP for Kole North County, was held by police after he allegedly beat up two Policemen on duty shortly after he was involved in a road accident on the Kampala-Entebbe highway, Uagndanz News Website, has learnt.
Okello reportedly assaulted the Police officers attached to the traffic department using a baton he got from his white Toyota Land Cruiser’s dashboard (UAX 354Z), moments after the accident.
The incident happened on Wednesday morning, prompting the officers to intervene. Okello was held for five hours at Lubowa Police station before he was released on Police bond.
While at the Police station, Okello was subjected to a breathalyser test. The Kampala Metropolitan traffic boss, Norman Musinga, said: “Any content above 0.01mg indicates that an individual the alcohol in his body.”
Musinga said the long arm of the law catches up with a person who exceeds 0.035mg. Okello’s car was impounded together with a Toyota Box Body — UBE 931T — pending investigations into the accident. By press time, the car was still parked at Lubowa Police Station.
The incident
According to the Police, Okello charged at the junior traffic officers and allegedly claimed he could only be handled by their boss.
“He threatened to file a case against the officers for alleging that he was drunk. He claimed he does not take alcohol apart from the two bottles of wine he said he took the previous night,” a source said.
Police arrested Okello and charged him with assaulting Police officers under case file Ref. 07/05/02/2020 and traffic offence (TSD /03/02/20). The legislator yesterday spent the greater part of the day recording statements at Lubowa Police Station and was still being held by press time.
The head of operations at Lubowa Police Station, Innocent Ndyomugabe, condemned Okello’s, who he said ought to have been more exemplary to society.
The traffic Police officers sustained injuries from the beating, according to a copy of a medical form. Okello could not be reached for comment as his known mobile phones were switched off.
When contacted, the director of communication at Parliament, Helen Kaweesa, said she was not aware of the incident.
Indiscipline
On Wednesday, the director Traffic and Road Safety, Bazil Mugisha, said Police had noted with concern the increased indiscipline among drivers through the use of unauthorised sirens, coloured lights similar to those used on emergency vehicles and increased violation of rules governing the use of registration of number plates.
A statement signed by the deputy Police publicist, Polly Namaye, indicates that due to growing number of vehicles on the roads, especially in Kampala and other fast-growing towns, this indiscipline has the potential of creating unnecessary inconveniences to road users as well as increasing accidents.
“We appeal to the public to cooperate with traffic Police officers as they work to ensure compliance with regulations,” she said