Former MAK director drags police officers to PSU over unlawful eviction

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Three police officers attached to Makerere University are in trouble over unlawful attempted eviction of Eng. Frank Kitumba, the former Director Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS).

They are assistant commissioner of police Phillip Acaye, Makerere University chief security officer, Nickson Okello, the officer in charge of Makerere University police station and Corporal Kenneth Kaunda Oulanya who presided over the eviction on instructions of the Chief security officer.

Eng. Kitumba has filed a complaint of professional misconduct against the officers with the Professional Standards Unit under file number PSU/KMP/GEF/517/2019. Eng. Kitumba’s lawyer, Stanly Okecho, says for evictions to occur, the Divisional Police Commander –DPC must be notified; “But the DPC sitting at Wandegeya wasn’t aware. We added him for a statement before PSU [Police Standards Unit],” he said.

Adding that, “The OC Makerere disappeared while the eviction went on. He switched off his phones. The eviction had to be stopped by Deputy Commandant, Kampala Metropolitan Police, who called the DPC to halt the process,” Okecho narrates.

Okecho avers that the Chief Security Officer, ACP Acaye told them that he was attending a meeting in Entebbe when they called him on phone.  He says that they want to take on the officers in their individual capacities.

“Besides subjecting them to PSU, we are finalizing on paper work for civil action and private prosecution as a result of the unlawful eviction. This impunity of humiliating hard working and extremely brilliant scientists in this country ought to stop.  The police are being used to fight personal wars and witch-hunt,” Okecho told URN.

Section 43 (4) of the Employment Act stipulate that where an employee is being housed by the employer, the employee shall not be required to vacate the premises until he or she has been paid his or her terminal benefits.

The same act provides for payment of an employee’s wages, and any other remuneration and accrued benefits to which he or she is entitled in case of termination of his or her employment.

Eng. Kitumba told Uganda Radio Network in an interview on Friday that he demands his gratuity money spanning a period of four years while serving as the director and science money, which wasn’t paid to him, approximately 200million Shillings.

He got a temporary relief after an order halting the eviction by Makerere was issued by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Industrial court.

Kitumba is a resident of university house number 138 along Fig Tree road, just below the College of Computing and Information Sciences (COSAS).

*****

URN