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Former Kampala Central Police Station DPC Aron Baguma has been produced before Buganda Road Court where he was immediately committed to the High Court for trial on charges of murder, robbery and kidnap. His bail application will now be heard in the High Court on Wednesday.
Baguma who appeared in a grey suit and a white shirt on Tuesday was called to the dock before Chief Magistrate Jamson Karemani alongside his three co-accused persons.
Resident State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya presented committal papers to court saying he had instructions to have Baguma and three others committed to the High Court to start trial on charges of murder, robbery and kidnap of businesswoman Donah Betty Katushabe. The accused include the proprietor of Pine Car bond Muhammad Ssebuufu.
According to the indictment, Baguma is said to have failed to rescue Katushabe from her assailants despite the fact that he is a person with authority and was present at the alleged torture scene along Lumumba avenue, on October 17, 2015. It is said he instead ordered the deceased to pay the balance of nine million shillings to Ssebuufu.
According to the prosecution, their evidence will also show that eye witnesses later saw Baguma proceed to Ssebuufu’s office where the latter handed him an uncertain amount of money before he left the scene.
Magistrate Karemani received and signed the committal papers and sent Baguma back on remand at Kigo Government Prison until the next convenient session of the High Court.
Soon after, High Court asked Kigo to produce Baguma to hear his bail application on Wednesday.
The Law should be blind to color, religion, office, social and economic standing. Justice should not only be done but it should also be seen to be done. Baguma and Kale Kaihura should be held on the same standards. Baguma as the DPC Kampala central police station witnessed a Ugandan losing life. Kale Kaihura as the IGP witnessed Ugandans being clobbered and knocked by a police vehicle, he later defended those actions on live television. If the prosecution of Kaihura cannot proceed on the basis that the IGP is an “institutional position”, how then, can the Law be applied against the “DPC?” Is the position of the “DPC” alien to the “institution” of the police? If the Law is blind to the “IGP” so is it to the “DPC.”