Christine Ndiwalana, the Bukomansimbi North Member of Parliament, narrowly survived being lynched by angry mourners who accused her of being responsible for the death of a 20-year-old boda boda rider in her constituency.
It is said that Marvin Kaweesi, a boda boda rider from Mpaama Village in Bukomansimbi District, was knocked down by an ambulance belonging to Ms. Ndiwalana on February 12.
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The driver of the ambulance reportedly sped off, abandoning Kaweesi at the scene.
He was rushed to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital for treatment by first responders but was pronounced dead minutes later.
Kaweesi’s colleagues later contacted Ms. Ndiwalana, but she reportedly refused to assist in meeting his medical bills.
“When I called her [Ndiwalana] to ask for assistance, she told me not to force her and hung up on the phone. We decided to take care of our colleague ourselves. We were surprised that she had come to attend the burial ceremony after telling us how she wasn’t bothered [about Kaweesi’s health condition].” One of the mourners grieved.
During the burial, as the Mass led by a local Catholic catechist was underway, Ms. Ndiwalana arrived.
Her presence irritated a section of mourners who started heckling her and demanded that she leave the burial.
Another group of mourners physically confronted Ms. Ndiwalana, pulling her from the chair where she was seated.
Sensing danger, Ndiwalana’s supporters tried to help her leave the venue using a bodaboda, but a group of youth grabbed her from the motorcycle and pushed it over, causing her to fall to the ground.
When the situation became tense, the legislator was rushed to a nearby house belonging to one Ssemaganda, where she took refuge for about an hour.
Police officers led by Bukomansimbi deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Fred Kalema, arrived at the scene on time to restore order and managed to rescue Ms. Ndiwalana.
Ms. Ndiwalana said the youth who attempted to lynch her were incited by her political rival, whom she did not name. She said she had carried Shs1 million as condolences for the bereaved family, but she was denied the opportunity.
“I believe that attack was politically motivated. An accident is an accident, and it is unfair to blame me when I wasn’t at the scene. It is unfortunate that some people want to use the death of this young man to gain political capital, “she said.
Meanwhile, Mr Kalema said that preliminary police investigations pointed to the driver of the ambulance being on the phone while driving by the time of the crash and that he did not have a valid driving license.
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