Kaweesi death: Police officers arrested over torturing suspects

Kampala. Two senior police officers, a sergeant and a constable have been arrested on the orders of Police chief, Gen Kale Kayihura, over accusations of torturing Kamwenge Mayor, Godfrey Byamukama and other suspects in the killing of police spokesperson, Andrew Felix Kaweesi.
Mr Asan Kasingye, the police spokesperson, on Friday identified the arrested officers as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Patrick Munanura, ASP Fred Tumuhirwe, Sgt Tumukunde and Constable Ronnie Byenkya.

“Our officers who inflicted injuries on Mr Byamukama have been arrested and placed under investigations by our Professional Standards Unit,” Mr Kasingye told Sunday Monitor. He also confirmed that investigations were continuing as he sought to distance the police force from the torture accusations.
Police said Mr Byamukama was arrested on April 5 by police from the Ministry of Lands office along Parliament Avenue. Mr Kasingye said after the arrest, two police officers and the suspect got involved in the scuffle on the way to notorious Nalufenya in Jinja District.

Opposition leaders and sections of the public have christened Nalufenya as “a torture chamber”.
The scuffle is said to have arose after Mr Byamukama realised he was not being taken to Naguru Police headquarters as earlier informed at the time of his arrest.
“The suspect sustained superficial injuries in the process which were aggravated by his medical conditions which we cannot divulge,” Mr Kasingye said.
Kaweesi was killed on March 17 alongside his driver Godfrey Wambewo and bodyguard Kenneth Erau at Kulambiro about 200 metres away from his home.
After the trio’s murder, security agencies including, Flying Squad Unit, Crime Intelligence, CID and Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence launched the hunt for the killers.

Police arrested Hassan Tumusiime and Abubaker Ntende who reportedly revealed that Byamukama, who turned out to be Kamwenge Town Council mayor, was one of the masterminds of the trio’s killing.
However, Mr Byamukama was not among the 13 wounded suspects arraigned before court on April 21. It turned out that Mr Byamukama had been whisked to Nakasero Hospital by his tormentors upon realising his condition was fast deteriorating.
Without explaining why authorities at Nalufenya accepted to receive a wounded suspect, Mr Kasingye noted in his statement issued to media on Friday that; “Police has given Mr Byamukama the best medical care possible at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala. He has been discharged and will be getting periodic reviews at the same facility.”

Mr Byamukama’s distressing state was exposed after his council members visited him at the hospital and witnessed the magnitude of torture that had been inflicted on him at Nalufenya high profile detention facility. Sources also indicated that IGP had ordered an investigation into allegations of torture at Nalufenya facility.
A police source told Sunday Monitor that two other Flying Squared Unite (FSU) spies were also arrested but were not mentioned by police authorities since they are civilians. They were arrested over unrelated crimes.
Police authorities at Naguru police headquarters arrested Corporal Karim Bamugireku for selling police ammunitions at Shs500,000.
Police sources intimated that Cpl Bamugireku contacted a resident of Naguru Hill and notified him how he had bullets and that he could sell to him at a cheaper price.

A source said the resident alerted the police that asked him to proceed with the transaction and Cpl Bamugireku was intercepted with exhibits of Shs50,000 notes which had been already photocopied by the police.
Mr Moses Bango, who is in charge of Anti-Narcotics Unit at Kabalye Police Station was arrested on Thursday for allegedly stealing narcotic exhibits valued at Shs10 million. According to police sources, Mr Bango had hidden the drugs in his packets and lock up.

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