Land probe: Four senior police officers suspended over misconduct
The Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura has suspended four senior police officers for allegedly mismanaging a court case, leading to unlawful demolition of a commercial building in Jinja Town.
Those suspended include former commandant of the land protection unit, Assistant Commissioner of Police Julius Twinomujuni, who has been currently attached to the directorate of human rights and legal services, and the Regional Police Commander (RPC) for Kidepo Police Region, Senior Superintendent of Police, Edgar Nyabongo, formerly in Kiira Police Region.
Others are Rwenzori RPC, Mr Apollo Kateeba, who was the District Police Commander of Jinja and former Officer in charge, and Mr Felix Mugizi, who is the District Police Commander of Kumi.
The four officers were suspended from duty pending the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into land management.
Chaired by the Court of Appeal Judge, Catherine Bamugemereire, the seven member panel is investigating processes and procedures in land acquisition, land administration, and management in the country.
In a radio message dated July 25, Gen. Kayihura indicated that the officers are subject to investigations instituted by him under the supervision of his deputy, Mr Martin Okoth-Ochola regarding the mismanagement of a court process involving property on Plot 60/62 Allidina Road in Jinja Municipality.
The suspension of the officers comes hardly a day after they were accused before the commission of inquiry into land matters for witnessing demolition of a government property by a private company, Birus Property Services owned by businessman Simpson Birungi.
Appearing before the Commission, the police officers who were transferred from the area on promotion after the incident which culminated into demolition of a commercial building and loss of business were questioned in regard to the actions.
Mr Twinomujuni accused the former director of operations, the late AIGP Felix Kaweesi of directing him to implement purported court orders resulting from a ruling of a court case between the traders and Birus Property Services Limited.
“I wrote and advised the late Kaweesi that there is no eviction order against the traders and that police could not give protection. When I advised like that, I thought they would go back to court and may be an order be given and directed to a court bailiff who would come to Police for protection to execute the order,” he said.
Mr Twinomujuni said: “Instead, on January 12, 2015, after extraction of the order from the ruling, AIGP Kaweesi wrote that the ruling and the order were clear, so Birus Property Services had a right to the property. I told him that the order did not warrant eviction and hence the police could not provide protection.”
He said that the late Kaweesi ignored his advice and he does not know what happened after.
Earlier on the commission quizzed Gen. Kayihura over mismanagement of the same case.
