Uganda denies posting soldiers at Busia, Malaba border points

Uganda military personnel at Nimule border point on July 14, 2016 driving to Juba, South Sudan, for a security mission. Uganda has denied deploying it soldiers to Busia border. PHOTO | AFP 

In Summary

• Mr Matanda on Friday said a story published in by a Kenyan media saying Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldiers were sighted in Busia is false.
• On Tuesday, Uganda police said Teso South MP Mary Emase escaped arrest after she was found campaigning and recruiting voters in the country.

By GAITANO PESSA
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The Ugandan government has denied that it has deployed its soldiers to the Kenya-Uganda borders of Busia and Malaba.

Busia-Uganda resident district commissioner Hussein Matanda on Friday said a story published in by a Kenyan media saying Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldiers were sighted in Busia is false and malicious.

“We have no troops at all on Kenyan-Ugandan border. The last time we had our soldiers at the border was during the December 2016 festive season to beef up security after an Eritrean citizen was abducted by armed gangsters and killed at Adungosi in Kenya.

“That deployment came about after an agreement with Kenyan government that we will send the army, not for the purpose of aggression, but to tighten up security after which we withdrew them immediately,” said Mr Matanda.

Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong has on several occasions complained of arbitrary arrests of Kenyan businessmen by Uganda counter terrorism police and Uganda Revenue Authority officers at Busia and Malaba border points.

This prompted a closed-door security meeting between Kenyan officials and their Ugandan counterparts at the immigration offices in Busia on Tuesday to address the issues.

On Tuesday, Uganda police said Teso South MP Mary Emase escaped arrest after she was found campaigning and recruiting voters in the country.

Bukedi regional police spokesperson Sowali Kamulya said the Kenyan MP was found campaigning in Amagoro village, Buteba sub-County, in Busia district.

“She managed to escape back to Kenya but police managed to arrest her bodyguard who was later released on Wednesday to Kenyan authorities,” said Mr Kamulya.