Advice to SSP Emilian Kayima and his generation

I first met Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Emilian Kayima on the December 2, 2017, at a ceremony at where both of us received commendations and recognition as authors.

This was at a function sponsored by the Association of Uganda Writers, Book Publishers and Booksellers in Kampala where he was awarded the trophy for the writer of the year for his book Taasa Ettaka Lyo and I received my literary award of life time achievement, being my second similar award for services to Uganda, Africa and the world at large.

Mr Kayima autographed and gave me a complimentary copy of his book which I continue reading. We exchanged a few words of recognition and appreciation. We also exchanged our telephone numbers with a promise that we should keep in touch.

Not long after we had met, my former resident VIPPU guard behaved badly and attempted to harm me in the presence of witnesses. He entered my bedroom uninvited and attacked me, but members of my household and bodyguard quickly overpowered him and I sought sanctuary at the Naguru Police Headquarters.

I reported the incident and requested for assistance from any senior police officer at the venue. Two ladies who claimed to be senior police officers but proved to be untrained and incompetent first responded to my alarm call.
As they fumbled about what to do, Mr Kayima emerged from the building going on some other duty. He recognised me being bamboozled by the two ladies in police uniform and quickly approached my car and said, “Prof what is the problem?”

I explained and he instantly said, “Leave this to me, Sir. I will handle it.” Within a few minutes, he had alerted two senior male officers who arrived and handled the situation professionally.

They took me to the residence of the Prime Minister for security and rushed to my residence to arrest the offending police constable, promising to discipline him and inform me in writing of the disciplinary action that would be taken against those constables which they have not done.

I then thought, “Surely, Kayima is a potential future professional police commander, and may be, Inspector General of Police.”

Since then, SSP Kayima has appeared many times in public defending errant police officers. I am sorry, but my original judgment of him as an intelligent, intellectual thinker and patriotic and potential leader of the future has somehow become feeble. I have reassessed him and found him wanting.

On many occasions, he has acted and appeared as if he is not an officer of the law, but a cadre of the ruling NRM party, loyal only to its leaderships and methods of work. In respect of professionalism and integrity, IGP Okoth-Ochola is superior in both and certainly a patriot of this country.

On September 21, Mr Kayima exposed himself in an NBS TV programme on the return of Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi. The moderator and other participants discussed pertinent issues and asked him relevant questions.

Mr Kayima was as evasive as he was apologetic but very protective of the NRM, errant police officers and the UPDF. However, what was shocking about his contribution in the discussion was his or feigned ignorance of our Constitution, laws, respect for other Ugandans and human decency with which Ugandans should regard and treat one another.

Above all, he deliberately avoided direct questions which only needed the application of common sense to answer. For instance, when asked whether in today’s Uganda of the NRM, it was necessary to arrest Bobi Wine who was being welcomed by his family and cheering supporters, Mr Kayima unwisely avoided answering that question and asked his own, “Do you remember what happened when Kizza Besigye was arrested many years ago? Or do you remember when that and this happened?”

He totally forgot that Ugandans, including those he was sharing the NBS platform with, are much more intelligent and have greater perception and understanding than he wanted viewers to believe. He appeared to be simply targeting his mentors and the bosses of the NRM.

SSP Kayima showed that he knows very little about the Constitution and laws of Uganda or that UPDF is a people’s army and is under civilian authority. He does not understand that torture is absolutely prohibited in Uganda under any conditions and circumstances.

Prof Kanyeihamba is a retired Supreme Court judge.
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