ADJUMANI, UGANDA: The Adjumani East county MP Hon. James Mamawi is in trouble after being summoned by police over alleged theft of 60 bags of charcoal.
Mr. Mamawi was dragged to police by one Mr Ali Mundara and his wife, Ms Jessica Nabwire, both charcoal dealers from the eastern Uganda district of Mbale.
Nabwire who was in the truck told journalists yesterday March 12, 2022, that on March 9, 2022, at around 4:00 AM, along Adjumani town Mungula road, the MP who drank himself silly stopped the truck that was transporting the charcoal and ordered the driver to hand over the keys to him.
Tearful Nabwire Jesca who appeared traumatized and in agony narrates that when she explained that her husband has obtained a license from the Adjumani district local government for trading in charcoal, the MP instead ordered the men in his company numbering four to beat her accusing her of being defiant.
The MP according to the complainant, then personally opened the back door of the boxboard tuck and started offloading the charcoal and in his drunken stupor fell down with the third bag of the charcoal.
He then grew wild and accused Nabwire of pulling him down, grabbed her mobile phone and violently threw it on the ground, and personally attempted to wrestle her down, he squeezed her breasts and slapped her buttocks severally but she fiercely resisted him.
Mamawi who made frantic alarm during the incident ordered the people in the neighboring village to loot the charcoal, and by the time police arrived, 60 bags out of 250 bags of charcoal on the truck had been looted.
The case has been registered under the Special Diary reference 39/10/03/2022 and investigations into the case has commenced according to the police officer who is investigating officer.
On March 11, 2022, Mamawi James was summoned by the police and he reported at Adjumani central police station at around 4:00pm and was grilled up to 8:00 pm.
An official from the Natural Resources sector Adjumani district local government said the husband of the complainant Ali Mundara has been licensed to carry out charcoal trade and the previous day he communicated to the office that he was reporting for clearance of 250 bags of charcoal.
He said the MP should have contacted their office for clarification since their enforcement team is on the ground.
Mr. Ali Mundara, says MP Mamawi James seems to be pursuing personal vendetta, because December 2021, a policewoman shot at his car at Nyabila trading center near Zoka, flattening the tyres and in January 2022, the MP impounded a truck that was transporting his charcoal and the truck was detained at Mungula police post in Mungula sub county for five days and later released without any charge.
MP Mamawi James denied stealing charcoal and harassing Nabwire Jesca and instead accused her of being defiant when he ordered her to produce the charcoal trading license.
“Nabwire Jesca, is indiscipline and refused to comply when I politely asked her to produce her trading license and ordered her accomplices to manhandle us and in the ensuing fracas two boys were badly injured and are receiving treatment in Mungula health center IV”.MP Mamawi James responded.
He said it is his responsibility to monitor charcoal trade because there are many dubious traders who are involved in illegitimate charcoal trade.
This is not the first time Mamawi James is harassing people along the same road over the issue of charcoal, in 2019, he boxed Rubangaku Peter a forest ranger drawing blood from his nose, the matter was reported to police but the former district chairman Leku James dragged his feet on the matter.
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