Gen Kayihura aide Baroza on the run

On the run. Assistant Commissioner of Police Jonathan Baroza

What you need to know:

  • The police failed to reign in on the soaring crime where dozens of people were kidnapped and or murdered while the Force preoccupied itself with suppressing public gatherings of the Opposition.
  • Prior to the sacking, President Museveni had praised Kayihura as a good cadre of the ruling NRM party who had whipped the police into the party’s ideology. But after sacking him in March, the President said the police had been infiltrated by “weevils”, an indictment on his once blue-eyed cadre.

KAMPALA. Operatives of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and Internal Security Organisation (ISO) are still hunting Assistant Commissioner of Police Jonathan Baroza, a former aide to the jailed former head of police, Gen Kale Kayihura, contrary to initial reports that he had been arrested.

Earlier reports had indicated that Baroza and several other officers had been arrested in the wake of Kayihura’s arrest. However, it has emerged that Baroza evaded arrest and is reported to be on the run.
Sources privy to the operations say when the security forces moved on him, he was tipped about the arrest and disappeared.
His whereabouts are still unknown, but intelligence sources said security agencies have intensified the hunt for him.

Brig Abel Kandiho, the head of CMI, was reluctant to speak on Baroza’s escape but said they were still verifying the information on his whereabouts. He referred Daily Monitor to police, whom he said are leading the operation.
Mr Emilian Kayima, the police spokesperson also declined to give details about Baroza’s case. He said police will issue an official statement at a later date and noted that they have never issued a response on the arrests.

“We as police have not come out to speak about what is happening and at an appropriate time we shall issue a formal statement about it. I don’t want to commit myself to making any statement and I don’t want to be seen to be giving you information,” he said.
Col Kaka Bagyenda, the head of ISO, did not respond to our repeated calls.

Arrests
Since former Inspector General of Police Gen Kayihura was arrested on June 13, a joint team of CMI and ISO operatives have moved in to arrest dozens of his former associates or confidantes on various alleged crimes. They include Lt Col Peter Musherure, former deputy Director of Crime Intelligence in police, Herbert Muhangi, former Flying Squad commander, Senior Superintendent of Police and former head of Cyber-Crime Richard Ndaboine, former Director of Crime Intelligence in police Col Ndahura Atwooki and several other high ranking police officers.

The arrested officers are facing charges, which the State has not specified but sources say they are of “grave” nature.
After Gen Kayihura was dropped as IGP in March, Lt Col Musherure and Col Ndahura were ordered to return to the army.
Before his eventual sacking and subsequent arrest, Gen Kale Kayihura presided over a Force that had gained reputation of brutalising the public, especially the Opposition and other voices of dissenting political opinion.

The police failed to reign in on the soaring crime where dozens of people were kidnapped and or murdered while the Force preoccupied itself with suppressing public gatherings of the Opposition.
Prior to the sacking, President Museveni had praised Kayihura as a good cadre of the ruling NRM party who had whipped the police into the party’s ideology. But after sacking him in March, the President said the police had been infiltrated by “weevils”, an indictment on his once blue-eyed cadre.