A former deputy inspector general of police has made scathing comments on his former employer, observing that under the watch of Gen Kale Kayihura, the police has been reduced to a protector of criminal gangs.
The situation is seemingly so out of control that the army has been drafted in to stem rising violent crime. Now in retirement, Julius Odwe, like many officers from the older, some observers say more professional, Uganda Police Force, is mortified that the institution charged with keeping law and order is increasingly perceived as a patron of gang leaders.
For him, this is what the sensational arrest of Abdallah Kitatta, the leader of Boda Boda 2010, by the military boils down to. Boda Boda 2010, ostensibly an association of boda boda operators, has been implicated in a series of violent crimes around Kampala.
Kitatta and his associates were arrested over the weekend by the military in Kampala in connection with the recent kidnap and murder of a Case hospital accountant, Francis Ekulangar.
Reportedly, Kitatta unsuccessfully tried to get his high-placed protectors in police to stop the army’s weekend action against his gang.
The weekend army operation dovetails with other ongoing security operations which have seen the arrest of several senior police officers, some of them allegedly involved in such heinous crimes as kidnaps.
It speaks loudly of abuse of police authority by the primary law enforcement organ, according to Odwe.
“Sometimes when police neglect their duty to arrest such criminals and the military is aware of such criminals, they have no option but to take over and arrest them,” Odwe told The Observer on Monday.
“Sometimes when the military arrest civilians, they hand them over to police for prosecution. But when the suspect committed a military offence or was found with military uniforms or guns, they are handled in the court martial,” Odwe said.
Odwe spoke of a police force heavily infiltrated by “many criminals who masquerade as police officers”.
What is more troubling is that “they are protected by police because some police officers could be working with them unknowingly”.
“Kitatta is a masquerader in police. People know him. Even the President said last year that many wrong elements penetrated police which has increased crime. I think this is why the army has now started cleaning up police,” Odwe said.
While Odwe says he has no idea how a person like Kitatta wormed his way into the police, he fears that there are many others like him who were recruited as so-called ‘crime preventers’. This, he said, is putting national security at risk.
“During my regime in police, we also used to have such criminals in police who were imposters, and always moved around police stations as officers but we seriously dealt with them by arresting them under [Operation] Wembley, which is now the Special Investigations Division (SID), at Kireka,” Odwe said.
Similarly appalled by what the Uganda police has become, is a former director in police. The retired officer, who preferred not to be named, confirmed that some police officers are part of the very criminal gangs they are supposed to fight.
“If it’s not true, why wouldn’t they arrest criminals like Kitatta and wait for [Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence] to arrest them?” the officer said.
Kitatta was arrested on Sunday after two members of his gang confessed to military intelligence that they participated in the gruesome killing of the Case hospital accountant.
“Acting on very reliable information, on Friday January19, an operation was conducted to arrest one of the suspects Huzairu Kiwalabye, Kitatta’s brother,” Lt. Col. Deo Akiiki, the deputy army and defence spokesperson, said.
Col Akiiki said later Kikandi Muhindo and David Bizimani, Congolese nationals at whose residence Ekalungar’s car was found on January 21, were also detained.
Others since arrested are John Ssebandeke, Fred Bwanika, Hassan Ssengoba, Joel Kibirige, Jonathan Kayondo, Sunday Ssemogerere, Sadam Ssemogerere, Asaf Barigye, Joseph Nsindazi, Sowali Ngobi, Thomas Arinaitwe and Ibrahim Ssekajja.
Also arrested were Frank Ssozi, Shaban Kirya, Hussein Mugema, Joram Kagajju, Hassan Ssebata, Matia Ssenfuka, John Kiddugavu, Godfrey Kasirye, Enock Lukyamuzi , Laurence Ssengonzi , Amon Twinomujuni, Frank Makumbi and Thomas Kanyamudali.
In October last year, Kitatta, was sued in the High court in Kampala for beating up pupils who were travelling to Nkumba in Entebbe to attend a police function. Only last week, Kayihura said at Parliament that Kitatta and his Boda-boda 2010 group helped police break up opposition demonstrations like the 2011 Walk to Work protests.
zurah@observer.ug