The International Crimes Division of High Court has allowed Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere to travel abroad to seek treatment.

Mumbere recently in an application asked the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kololo to lessen on the stringent bail conditions that have seen him confined at his home in Muyenga for close to two years now without returning to his palace in Kasese.

On Thursday, Justice Margaret Oumo Oguli upheld the Omusinga’s travel ban to Kasese saying that the Rwenzururu king never presented evidence to show there is no longer an uprising in the area.

The judge explained in her ruling that Mumbere’s travel to Kasese where there are his subordinates that the state intends to rely on as witnesses to pin him would see him interfere with them.

Justice Oguli also ruled that she can not order for the military to be removed from Omusinga’s residence in Muyenga because it does not have such powers.

She explained that it is the state to determine the type of security to be provided for cultural leaders.

The court, however, directed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to issue the Omusinga with a new passport that would enable him travel abroad for treatment after convincing it that he needs an eye surgery that cannot be done in Uganda.

He was ordered to return his passport after seven days upon return from abroad for the eye surgery.

Mumbere was arrested on November 26, 2016, during an army raid on his Buhikira palace in Kasese Town and was later airlifted and detained at Nalufenya police station in Jinja district but was in January 2017 granted bail by the High Court in Jinja.

In its bail ruling, the High Court in Jinja in 2017 restricted the Omusinga to moving in only three districts of Kampala, Jinja and Wakiso but barred him from stepping foot in Kasese, Kabarole and Bundibugyo for fear of interfering with investigations into the Rwenzori region attacks.

In his application, the Omusinga through his lawyers of Caleb Alaka and Company Advocates, says the bail conditions set by the High Court in Jinja have made it difficult for him to enjoy his freedom.

“The bail conditions have been turned into a house arrest by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) instead of police guarding him. He cannot be even allowed to go for medication, Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa, one of Mumbere’s lawyers told journalists.

Mumbere is accused together with his royal guards of terrorism, treason, murder and aggravated robbery among other charges stemming from the November 2017 attack on his palace in Kasese by the army.

Nagirinya’s elder sister has broken down while testifying in a case where eight police officers are being tried for neglect of duty on the night of the kidnap.

On the night of August 28, unidentified men kidnapped driver Ronald Kitayimbwa and Maria Nagirinya, a former employee of Community Integrated Development Initiative, an NGO from her home at the gate in Busega Lungujja before killing them and their bodies were later found dumped in Mukono.

Following the kidnap and resultant murder of the duo, President Museveni ordered the immediate sacking and prosecution of police officers manning the CCTV camera command control centre in Nateete over negligence.

This followed reports from relatives including Nagirinya’s father who accused police of not helping them after the incident has just happened.

Harriet Nakyejwe told the police disciplinary court on Thursday told court that she was called by her younger sister, Berna Nakidde to inform her of Nagirinya’s kidnap.

“She was all crying on the phone as she broke the news to me. I then informed our uncle, Dr.Ben Mukwaya, our dad and others that we proceeded to Lungujja,”Nakyejwe told court.

She noted that on reaching Lungujja, they decided to go to Lungujja Police Station where they were informed that the incident had not been reported to the station.

“Uncle Ben(Dr.Ben Mukwaya) said we should go to Nateete where the CCTV command centre is.”
Breaks down

The witness however broke down as she narrated how the group was stopped from entering Nateete police station with their vehicles.

“The police officers stopped us from entering the station with our vehicle despite being night time.”

The witness broke down as she tried to narrate the ordeal they went through after entering the police station.

This prompted the court chairperson, Denis Odongpiny to ask for an adjournment.

The charges
A total of eight police officers including three Assistant Superintendents of Police – ASPs Muhammad Byansi – Officer in Charge of Nateete Police Station, Andrew Nizeyimana – Nateete OC CID and Allan Okello- Nateete Patrol Commander are facing charges related to negligence of duty.

Other officers are Detective Assistant Inspector of Police Sande Baguma, Corporal Samuel Owona, Detective Reuben Kibikwamu, Police Constable Joshua Basaliza and Police Constable Deo Kitutu.

Prosecution led by Senior Superintendent of Police, Steven Ibanda accuses the group of negligence and discreditable conduct contrary to Section 44(1) of the Police Act.

A senior one 16yr old girl who was reported missing a month ago has been found at her boyfriend’s place in Luweero, a police source has claimed.

Nayiga Shakira, went missing on September 22 at her parents’ home in Kawempe, a Kampala suburb.

Following several days of searching every nook and cranny, Shakira was found lounging in her boyfriend’s dwelling in Luweero and going about her ‘wifely’ duties.

A case; SDREF:42/30/9/2019, was lodged in at Kawempe Police Station following her disappearance from home, and social media was awash with the news and search to no avail.

“Naiga Shakira 16 who had gone missing has been found by our Police in Wobulenzi Luwero. She was found with a boyfriend and are both in Police custody at Kawempe Police station for questioning,” reads a statement from Uganda Police.

Nayiga, a form one student at Fairway High School went missing shortly after she was dropped off at her mother’s home by a paternal uncle, a one Isma Mugasira.

Her family mounted a search but got no wind of where she was. They were later shocked when a one Denis Odongo called the family asking for ransom in order to release her.

Odongo asked the family to raise Shs2m and gave them two hours to financially organize themselves.

One of the Police officers on duty on the fateful day allegedly told relatives Nagirinya’s kidnap was not top on his priorities that night and that he would handle the matter the following day, the Police disciplinary court has heard.

On the night of August 28, unidentified men kidnapped driver Ronald Kitayimbwa and Nagirinya, a former employee of Community Integrated Development Initiative, an NGO from her home at the gate in Busega Lungujja before killing them and their bodies were later found dumped near a swamp in Mukono.

Following the kidnap and resultant murder of the duo, President Museveni ordered the immediate sacking and prosecution of police officers managing the CCTV camera command control centre in Nateete over negligence.

This followed reports from relatives including Nagirinya’s father who accused police of not helping them after the incident has just happened.

On Wednesday, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Juma Takirambudde, an officer from the Professional Standards Unit who also investigated the accused told the police disciplinary court sitting at Naguru that one corporal Samuel Owona was on the fateful day the officer deputizing the commander in charge of the CCTV command centre at Nateete.

“Basing on your self -recorded statement, you received a communication from the OC station (ASP Muhammad Byansi) informing you about the matter(kidnap) and you told him you would handle the matter in the morning,” Takirambudde told court.

Owona was also in charge of radio communications on the fateful day.

“When you were asked to take relatives to the CCTV camera control room, you said it would also be done the following morning.”

The witness said that Nagirinya’s vehicle that was used by the kidnappers was captured on camera at Kinawataka at around 12:52am moving at a speed of 41kilometres heading to Mukono.

“The vehicle passed by Katwe towards Mukono(where the bodies were dumped) and returned using the same route up to Nateete where it was dumped. If the officer had responded to the call, not only the victims would have been recovered but the other occupants of the vehicle would have been apprehended,” the witness told court.

Negligence

In his statement after the incident, Museveni accused the officers at Nateete Police station of not caring when a report was made about Nagirinya’s kidnap.

“Take the case of Nagirinya. When she was kidnapped, the relatives, immediately, informed the Police of Kibumbiro Police post at Nateete, by about 00:43 hours. The officer there should have informed all the Police units and patrol cars and the camera centres about the type of car that had been hi-jacked. The cameras then would track that vehicle and those criminals would have been arrested or killed before they abandoned the car at Nateete, after dumping the bodies of the victims in Mukono,”Museveni said.

The furious Museveni wondered, “What is this- criminal negligence or collusion? Whatever it was, we are slowly moving forward. On account of the cameras and other technical means, we are now able to know who did not do his work. The Policemen in the camera centres were asleep, only waking up to “retrieve” pictures from the memory of the cameras.”

Just like Museveni’s statements showed negligence, the testimony of the officer from the Police Professional Standards Unit indicated the officers never cared.

“When the victim’s father came to report, one of the officers had removed his shoes and put his legs on top of the chair,” Takirambudde told court.

He accused the commanders on the fateful night of negligence saying that had they carried out their duties of supervising well, this would not have happened.

The court chairperson, Senior Commissioner of Police, Dennis Odongpiny adjourned the hearing to tomorrow Thursday.

The Charges

A total of eight police officers including three Assistant Superintendents of Police – ASPs Muhammad Byansi – Officer in Charge of Natete Police Station, Andrew Nizeyimana – Natete OC CID and Allan Okello- Natete Patrol Commander are facing charges related to negligence of duty.

Other officers are Detective Assistant Inspector of Police Sande Baguma, Corporal Samuel Owona, Detective Reuben Kibikwamu, Police Constable Joshua Basaliza and Police Constable Deo Kitutu.

Prosecution led by Senior Superintendent of Police, Steven Ibanda accuses the group of negligence and discreditable conduct contrary to Section 44(1) of the Police Act.