The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
✳ Traffic police were named most corrupt at 67% followed by CID at 57% in a survey
✳ The Savannah RPC Susan Nalwoga has ordered the arrest of civilians who offer bribes to police and cited some culprits
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Savannah Regional Police Commander Susan Nalwoga says that corruption in the force will only end after civilians stop giving bribes to officers.
The RPC who was speaking at a party organised by area leaders for the police on Friday also disclosed that she has ordered the arrest of civilians who offer bribes to police and cited some early culprits.
According to the findings in the Fourth National Integrity Survey report 2019/2020, released in February this year, 70 percent of respondents in 128 districts named the police as the most corrupt institution in the country.
Within the force, the traffic police were named most corrupt by 67 percent of the respondents followed by CID (57 percent). The report named the courts and land tribunals as the second most corrupt based on testimonies of 53 percent of respondents while land offices were also named corrupt by 53 percent of respondents.
Like across the country, there is public outcry in Savannah region which comprises of Luwero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola over increasing corrupt tendencies among police personnel.
But while admitting that corruption is eating up the police force, the Savannah Regional Police Commander, Senior Superintendent of Police Susan Nalwoga blamed this on residents who bribe them.
Nalwoga thus insists that corruption will only end after civilians restrain themselves from offering bribes to police personnel in a quest for services.
Nalwoga said that she has started to arrest people who are found giving out bribes to policemen and one person was picked up on Friday.
Robert Nsimbi, a former contestant for LC 3 chairperson of Luwero town agrees with RPC Nalwoga, but said there are cases where people resort to bribery so as to get justice or help from policemen after failing access them.
He however noted that those who bribe to defeat justice should be arrested and the officers involved, if corruption is to end.
Luwero District Kadhi Sheikh Ramadhan Mulindwa said that corruption can end if commanders act tough on the officers who are found receiving bribes from suspects.
Mulindwa said that corruption has become normal in force because the commanders take less action on those involved and some of them are also corrupt like junior staff.
“Corruption won’t end unless we see police commanders and big shots in the country jailed over the crime” Mulindwa said.
While meeting police commanders early this month, President Museveni asked police officers to stop corruption tendencies.
“I have strongly warned them against involvement in corrupt practices,” Museveni said on Twitter after the meeting. Corruption in the Police Force should stop.”
*****
URN
Sometime back, we learnt that fuel available at the Police station is not adequate [recall it as an official report, possibly to Parliament]
So if one has a case that requires transporting police and there is no fuel, who should be arrested?
I reported a case to a unit within Kawempe division, and the papers for taking the details were not available, only one faint, Prototype copy was present, so we made several copies for the common good was that corruption?