Male Mabirizi seeks to block appointment of Gen Lokech as deputy IGP

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | City lawyer Male Mabirizi has written to the clerk of Parliament Jane Kibirige asking her to block the appointment of General Paul Lokech as Deputy Inspector General of Police.

Gen. Lokech has served with the Uganda People’s Defence Forces where he is credited for crashing Al Shabaab forces.

Lawyer Male Mabiri has challenged Gen. Lokech’s appointment saying it is illegal, as a military man can not do policing effectively. He also says in his letter to the clerk dated 17th December that it is an illegality for a UPDF officer to be deployed to lead the police.

Mabirizi says that according to section 9, 1(b) of the Police Act, the functions of the police authority are to advise the President on the appointment of the Inspector General of Police and his deputy among others and the police authorities are the ones to establish the procedure and form of application to be adopted in the appointment of police officers to the force.

Mabirizi asks the clerk to Parliament to reject Lokech’s appointment as it will worsen the already bad democratic situation in the country.

It is not the first time military men have been appointed to serve as leaders of Uganda Police Force. General Katumba Wamala served as the IGP of Police, followed by General Kale Kayihura who also led the force as IGP and lately Muzeyi Sabiti the Deputy IGP who was in military police.

Although in August Mabirizi petitioned the Civil Division of High Court to quash the appointment of army officers into Uganda Police Force, the case was dismissed. The officers appointed then were Brigadier Sam Bakasumba as the Chief of Joint Staff Uganda Police Force, Col. Sserunjogi Ddamulira as Director of Police Crime Intelligence, Col. Jesse Kamunanwire, as the Director in Charge of Human Resource and Administration and Brigadier Godfrey Golooba, the Director Human Resource Development and Training.

Asuman Basalirwa, the Bugiri Municipality MP says that it is unfortunate that the militarization of the police continues at a time when Uganda is under the spotlight over brutality.

He also says its unfortunate that the appointment of IGP’s and Deputy IGP’s are not coming from within the police hence demoralizing officers from working hard.

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