PSU recommends disciplinary trial of 15 police officers

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The police Professional Standards Unit (PSU) has recommended a disciplinary trial of 15 police officers over engagement in bribery, corruption and scandalous activities.

PSU has been probing four separate incidents involving more than 30 police officers since June after they were reported by victims of their acts or captured on cameras receiving bribes.

Six of the officers recommended for disciplinary trial were captured on Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on June 26. These include Eric Bonny, Abed Kwen, Kelvin Bwire, Ivan Kirya, Special police constable Abraham Enatu, and Corporal David Mugume.

The six who were attached to Kawempe police station were captured with their police patrol taking bribes by a monitoring team at Naguru National CCTV Command Centre. They were arrested but released on bond after seven days in police custody and will be appearing in police court expected to sit in a week’s time at Naguru police headquarters.

The other six police officers who will be facing the police court were arrested on June 22 after they were captured on CCTV cameras storming Ntinda police station and putting everyone at gunpoint following the arrest of a one Capt Namara who had scratched the vehicle of musician Moses Ssali alias Bebe Cool.

Capt Namara scratched Bebe Cool’s car at City Bar in Ntinda. The two had an altercation after which Capt Namara put Bebe Cool at gunpoint before he was subdued by Bebe Cool’s bodyguard and a police officer. Namara was later arrested and detained at Ntinda police station but a group of police officers stormed the station and ordered everyone to sit down or else risk being shot. Bebe Cool was ordered to flee for his safety and he did.

Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, later confirmed that the six police officers had been arrested for escalating the Bebe Cool-Capt Namara situation. PSU investigations have since recommended that they be charged in the force’s disciplinary tribunal over scandalous conduct.

“They went overboard by putting people at gunpoint. It was unnecessary and uncalled for. They escalated a simple situation. They will be charged internally for being scandalous,” a senior police officer said.

Scandalous manner and bribery are contrary to section 44(1) code 14(1) of the Police Act. Others will face charges of discreditable or irregular conduct contrary to section 44 (1) code 12 (b) of the same Act.

Meanwhile, PSU has exonerated five police officers who had been accused of charging 300,000 Shillings in order to fetch a trip of water from a fire hydrant. The exonerated officers include Cpl Samuel Abigaba, PC Delson Koyekyenga, PC Jacob Tuwangye, PC Aron Waniaye and PC Habson Muhindo.

Their arrest followed a Twitter post by one Edison, a resident of Kanoni, Kazo district alleging that fire truck UP 4739 was being used to supply water in villages at a cost of 300,000 Shillings. The tweet prompted an immediate probe by PSU and a team was dispatched to Ibanda and Kazo.

But the probe has since acquitted the accused officers as the said truck had been grounded since April but it was repaired on the 3rd of this month. Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the Ibanda -Kazo incident was tweeted with malice aforethought.

“We have since established that the allegation was factually wrong and malicious. Misuse of government resources is a very serious matter and we encourage the public to always take interest in the use of police resources in their respective jurisdictions,” Enanga said.

But Enanga has equally cautioned the public to always avoid posting false allegations on social media, accusing people of committing crimes they have not committed. Other police officers waiting to be tried are from Oyam and they were accused by locals of charging them 30,000 to100,000 Shillings to lodge a complaint.

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