Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kale Kayihura has suspended 4 senior officers from duty for mismanaging a Court process involving a property in Jinja District.
Kayihura, on Tuesday appeared before the Land Commission headed by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire to testify in regard to a piece of property on Alidina Visram Road in Jinja town which belonged to government until 2014 when it was placed under privatization.
It is alleged that senior Police officers right from the regional police commander, the district police commanders, as well as political leaders including the Resident District Commissioner and District Internal Security Officer, offered protection to Movit Proprietor Simpson Birungi as he evicted and demolished properties belonging to poor tenants.
The property had Ugandan occupants with shops who were forcefully evicted and it is alleged that police was part of the team which evicted occupants and demolished the property
Kayihura has admitted that police was part of the team in question but said he didn’t investigate on the matter because the country was going into an election which wasn’t easy.
The police chief then promised to Bamugemereire that he would take a swift action to the officers implicated.
One of his juniors while testifying before the Commission on Tuesday confessed that they raised similar concerns but then Director of Police Operations AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi deliberately refused to take action insisting that “it was a small matter.”
Kayihura has since ordered that ACP Julius Twinomujuni (Assistant Commissioner in the Directorate of Human rights and Legal Affairs), SSP Edgar Nyabongo- RPC Kidepo, SSPApollo Kateeba (RPC Rwenzori) and SSP Felix Mugizi DPC Kumi) be suspended from duty.
“The following officers are suspended from duty with immediate effect pending findings of the commission of inquiry in land management and the investigation instituted by IGP under the supervision of DIGP regarding the mismanagement of court process involving court process in Jinja,” reads Kayihura’s directive.
The suspended officers superintended the demolition on orders of Late Kaweesi.
Their fate however remains unknown.
