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Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Police Disciplinary Court has recommended the demotion of five Police Officers in connection to last year’s chaotic Arua Municipality parliamentary by-elections.
The Police Disciplinary Court Chairperson, Dennis Odongopiny announced the ruling at Arua Municipal Council hall this morning. Odongopiny said the Police Disciplinary Committee had found the officers guilty of negligence of duty.
He therefore sentenced Superintendents of Police-SP Robert Junena Okia, the former West Nile Zonal Field Force Unit Commander, Jonathan Musinguzi, the former West Nile Region Police Commander and former Arua DPC, Abbas Senyonjo to reduction in rank to Assistant Superintendents of Police.
The same court sentenced Senior Superintendent of Police, Edward Mugweri, the former West Nile Region Crime Intelligence Officer to reduction in rank to Superintendent of Police.
The same court also sentenced Herbert Wanyoto, the former Regional Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department Officer – CIID to severe reprimand. Odongopiny cautioned him, saying he could face any punishment in case of any fault including dismissal from the Police Force.
Judgment Verbatim
The Police court exonerated Inspector of Police, Francis Onen, the former Officer in Charge of Traffic in Arua District, saying he acted promptly and deployed officers to tow the vehicle that had been packed in the road block the presidential convoy near Arua prisons.
The affected officers declined to comment about the court ruling, saying they had nothing to say. The West Nile Region Police Spokesperson, Josephine Angucia urged serving officers to learn from the court decisions on how they execute their work.
The charges against the officers stemmed from the chaos that broke out during the last day of the Arua municipality parliamentary by-election campaigns in August last year. During the hearing prosecution told that court that on August 13th, 2018 while deployed on duty, the officers failed to adequately deploy leading to the interruption of the President’s convoy by people on a caterpillar.
The opposition supporters reportedly pelted the president’s convoy with stones prompting his guards to open fire to disperse the mob. One person was killed in the fracas and six others injured leading to the arrest of 36 people including the Arua Municipality MP, Kasiano Wadri and several others.
