Security Minister Lt Gen (rtd) Henry Tumukunde has expressed discontent on why the police establishment deliberately keeps innocent suspects in cells to justify what has been exposed to the public.
The tough speaking NRM historical lashed at police earlier on Tuesday during a summit on media coverage and national security held at the President’s office in Kampala.
“Do not keep suspects further just because you want to justify what has been exposed to the public. If a suspect is wrong, allow the law to take course,” he said.
Tumukunde raised queries following concerns from a charged audience as to why police has recklessly handled, tortured and persecuted innocent suspect who are accused of the murder of AIGP- Andrew Felix Kaweesi.
Kaweesi together with his driver Godfrey Mambewa and body guard Kenneth Erau were gunned down on March 17 near his home in Kulambiro, a Kampala suburb.
Since then police has incarcerated a huge number of suspects at Nalufenya detention centre, a security installation which is now popularly referred to as torture chamber.
Prime Minister, Rt Hon Ruhakana Rugunda condemned the acts of torture as raised by the suspects saying, “these people deserve their rights.”
He presided over the just concluded summit.
Rugunda’s condemnation follows President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s detailed dossier denouncing this method of extracting information used by police at Nalufenya.
Museveni is optimistic once an innocent suspect is tortured he/she might be compelled to plead guilty.
Tumukunde on the same meeting said that the mechanisms of torture unleashed on suspects are used by ill-trained police officers and therefore need training to perfect professionalism while executing their duties.
His statements were perceived as a veiled attack on the police chief Gen Kale Kayihura.
The police have in the previous weeks been in negative light for torture of Kamwenge Town Council Mayor Geoffrey Byamukama arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder of AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi in March.
But police authorities have up to now denied responsibility but rather said that Byamukama was involved in a small fight with officers that arrested him.
But the septic wounds he sustained tell a different version.
“If there are mistakes, own them,” Lt. Gen. Tumukunde advised police.
“If you think you arrested wrong people thinking they are the ones you wanted, don’t keep them further because you want to justify the arrest.”
The Kamwenge mayor Byamukama was arrested last month while in Kampala and detained at Nalufenya from where he was allegedly tortured but when asked, police first denied arresting him.
Responding to Tumukunde, police spokesman Asan Kasingye said that police doesn’t own up for mistakes committed by a few individuals in the institution.
“Instead we apprehend that officer place him under investigations and if found guilty the law takes its course,” he said when asked on the sidelines of the meeting.