Police given 14 days to charge DPC Baguma

Former Kampala DPC Aaron Baguma

What you need to know:

Defiant. Police have on more than one occasion declined to produce the Kampala District police commander

KAMPALA.

The Director of Public Prosecutions Mike Chibita has given the police a two-week ultimatum to produce controversial former Kampala Central Police Station commander Aaron Baguma, to be charged with murder.

Mr Chibita, in a July 20 letter to the director of the police Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) Grace Akullo, Mr Chibita ordered the police to sign off the amended charge sheet, and produce Mr Baguma before Buganda Road Chief magistrates Court, to be charged with the killing of businesswoman Donah Katusabe at Pine car bond in Kampala .
“By minute B 146 on the police file you were to prefer charges and produce the suspect to court. To date, the suspect has not been produced to court. I have thus attached an amended charge sheet to include A8 ASP Baguma for your signature,” the DDP wrote.
“You shall have the charges preferred and resubmit the charge sheet for sanctioning,” he added.

Ms Akullo was not available for comment about the DPP’s latest directive by press time. The police deputy public relations officer, Ms Polly Namaye, declined to comment on what action the police will take, saying she was not sure whether Ms Akullo had received the DPP’s directive. The police has until Tuesday August 2, to act on the DPP’s latest directive.

The DPP in December last year sanctioned murder charges against Mr Baguma for his role in the killing of Ms Katusabe last year over an unresolved Shs9m debt for a vehicle she had bought from Pine car depot, belonging to Mr Muhammed Ssebuwufu. Mr Ssebuwufu, the main suspect in the murder is in Luzira from where he is to be tried in the next criminal session of the High Court for murder.

But the police has since refused to produce Mr Baguma before court to answer to the charges despite Mr Chibita’s insistence that the beleaguered police commander is not above the law. Mr Baguma continued to command police operations in Kampala, with the tacit approval of the police authorities, until earlier this week when Police Chief Kale Kayihura announced a reshuffle in the Kampala command and dropped him from his position, following an acrimonious week for the police in which the force was condemned for brutality against former presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye’s supporters.

Mr Chibita’s latest stand follows a letter in which the deceased’s’ family through their lawyers Tumwebaze, Atugoza, Kobusigye Advocates, wrote requesting him (DPP) to ensure the former CPS boss and other suspects who are police officers, and still at large, are produced and charged.

According to DPP’s indictment report, Mr Baguma’s troubles stem from an October 21, 2015 incident where he (Baguma) and car dealer Ssebuwufu led assault against Ms Katusabe, ordering her to pay some Shs 9m she owed to the car dealer. Mr Baguma the accused’s money. Mr Ssebuwufu, the prime suspect in the murder trial, sold a car to the deceased (Katusabe) at Shs19m. She paid part of the money and remained with a balance of Shs9m which she promised to pay later.

According to the indictment before court, the DPP states that on October 21, 2015 at around 7am another suspect, Mr Paul Tasingika, and three police officers from Central Police Station Kampala went to arrest Katusabe at her home in Bwebajja on Entebbe Road in Wakiso District.

“They booked at Bwebajja Police Post, and then went to her residence where they arrested her and brought her to Kampala. In Kampala, the deceased was not taken to police but, straight to Pine Bond where they found A1 (accused No. 1 Ssebuwufu) and handed her to him,” the indictment on the case file reads in part.

Mr Ssebuwufu immediately started assaulting her (deceased) while demanding for his balance. He then informed the police that they would settle the matter with the deceased and the police officers left the victim there. Soon after they left, Mr Ssebuwufu continued assaulting the deceased using a panga [machete], hitting her on the back and thighs while saying if she did not pay his money she was going to die.

The DPP states there is evidence that at about 3pm on the same day, the CPS commander Mr Baguma came to the car bond with other police officers and went straight to Ssebuwufu’s office where they talked to Ms Katusabe and ordered her to pay the accused’s money. He then went to Ssebuwufu’s private office where the two discussed for some time and they were seen going out together.

The DPP says Ssebuwufu escorted Mr Baguma to his vehicle and handed him some money. Before leaving, the DPP states, Mr Baguma told Ssebuwufu to handle the issue of the deceased and call him if he failed.

The DPP further contends that there is also evidence showing that when Mr Baguma was leaving, Katusabe pleaded with him as a police officer not to leave her behind because Mr Ssebuwufu and his colleagues were determined to kill her. The DPP says Mr Baguma ignored the deceased’s pleas and left. She was killed thereafter.

About Baguma
Aaron Baguma has less than 5years experience in the police force, having joined as a cadet in 2012. After two-year training at Police Training School Kabalye in Masindi District, he was deployed on attachment in Kampala Central Police Station.

When he was confirmed as an Assistant Superintendent of Police, he was appointed Officer-in-Charge for Kampala Central Police Station.
In April 2015, he was among the 120 police officers who were sent for military training for four months at Oliver Tambo School of Leadership in Kaweweta in Nakaseke District.

When he returned, Police Chief, Kale Kayihura appointed him the Officer-in-Charge of CPS again.
In September 2015, Mr Baguma was appointed the overall commander of CPS.

In February 2016, he was promoted from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police to the rank of Superintendent of Police. Mr Baguma’s elevation to a new rank in the controversial February police promotions is also a subject of an investigation by the IGG, after he was promoted despite being on charges of murder preferred by the DPP. The IGG is yet to issue a report.
He was dropped as CPS commander earlier this week.