Church demolition: DPP withdraws charges against two senior police officers

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Director of Public Prosecutions Jane Frances Abodo has withdrawn criminal charges against two senior police officers implicated in the demolition of St Peter’s Church Ndeeba in Rubaga Division.

The police officers are David Epedu, the Katwe Division Police Commander and Assistant Superintendent of Police Mugira Kato Yeko, the Officer in Charge of Katwe police.

On Wednesday, the DPP’s letter was presented to the court presided by Grade One Magistrate Jude Okumu by the chief State Attorney John Kunya. However, the DPP did not indicate why the case was dismissed.

The police officers were accused of neglecting their duties and conspiring with twenty others to unlawfully demolish the house of prayer. The group was previously charged together with 20 others including businessmen, police officers and officials attached to Kampala Capital City Authority.

Okumu was left with no option but to terminate proceedings against the two police officers.

The state later tendered an amended charge sheet in which it instituted new charges of theft against the prime suspect Dodoviko Mwanje and conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor with the rest of the accused persons.

In the new charges, the state alleges that Dodoviko stole church assorted items valued at approximately 850 million shillings on August 10, 2020.

In a related development, new charges of abuse of office and corruption have been instituted against the police officers and KCCA officials.

The state has also asked the file to be transferred from Makindye Magistrates Court to the Anti-Corruption Court of which the magistrate okayed.

The state had also asked the court to cancel the bail for the accused persons but the lawyers representing the suspects, Kenneth Ssebabi put up a strong objection saying the law doesn’t provide for that once they have been given bail already and the file is going to another court.

As a result, the magistrate declined to grant the request by the state.

The group will now be taking plea afresh on December 14, 2020, when they will be appearing in the Anti-Corruption Court.

St. Peters Church was demolished in August 2020 after a protracted legal battle over the ownership of the land on which it sits. The land was previously owned by a Buganda Kingdom Princess Evelyn Nachwa, who is said to have bequeathed it to the Church trustees, led by Dunstan Nsubuga, the then Bishop of Namirembe Diocese.

But the administrators of her estate accused the Church of fraudulently being registered on their land title, an argument which was upheld by the High Court Land Division Justice Eudes Keitirima in 2019, paving way for the demolition of the structure.

But shortly after it was demolished, those who had obtained a court order to demolish were arrested by state operatives who accused them of offences arising from the demolition process.

President Yoweri Museveni has since indicated that the government will construct the church.

******

URN