Police’s one good turn deserves many more

Out of bad news can come good news at times. There is no way to console Ronald Ssebulime’s grieving family. For them hell on earth is real.
On the broader scale, the police force has thus far acquitted itself well. Once their officers gunned down Ssebulime following a chase that started with the biker’s alleged suspicious behaviour before minister Idah Nantaba, the chasing party attempted a cover-up.

They killed an unarmed man in cold blood. Then they told a misleading story. They claimed they killed Ssebulime in a fire exchange. Eyewitnesses disagreed and media carried their version of the story as well.

The police chiefs launched a quick investigation and learned that there was no exchange of fire. The leadership not only arrested the offending officers, but issued a long statement retracting an earlier one that was based on the cover-up version of events as relayed by the chasing party.

Like some have noted, if the police continued to behave in this open and transparent manner, it would win back so much public goodwill and trust that policing would become even much easier.
A fair starting point would be to review the procedures involved in situations such as led to the Sunday killing. The police leadership should not just review, but make any changes public. The people need to know.

An unsettling thing about this deadly affair is that quite a number of high-profile public officials live in fear. Following the gunning down of prosecutor Joan Kagezi, highly visible police officers Felix Kaweesi and Muhammad Kirumira, MP Ibrahim Abiriga, and the Muslim sheikhs, fear has engulfed some.

Incidentally, while trying to reassure the country, President Museveni made things worse by making many statements about street and highway cameras, escort cars with sharp shooters, guards at home, plus more.
It seemed like if you were an MP or minister or security chief or prosecutor and judge in a high-crime case such as terrorism then you were marked for elimination — especially by someone riding on a motorbike.

Ms Nantaba, a junior ICT minister who fought running battles with alleged land grabbers in her native Kayunga District when she was in the ministry of Lands, is one of those ever on the alert.

And she may have taken to heart a statement that President Museveni made in March 2017 at the vigil of Kaweesi. “Now that you know that they [killers] are using these pikipikis [motorcycles], you be alert, especially if you are armed,” Mr Museveni said, according The Observer. “When you see somebody trying to follow you with a boda boda, stop the car, get out and sort out issues with him.”

Ssebulime was on a motorbike. They encountered each other at a roadside market. Ms Nantaba, on her way to Kampala from Kayunga, thought he was up to no good regarding her security.

And so she tried sorting out issues with him. She gave chase, gave up, but then reported the biker to Naggalama Police Station for what she considered suspicious conduct.

Next thing: Ssebulime is dead. Why shoot a man you have already arrested? Surely, he was no longer an immediate threat to anyone. I hope the trial of the arrested police officers reveals something.

Bernard Tabaire is a media trainer and commentator on public affairs based in Kampala.
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Twitter:@btabaire