Attacked Police officer picked from mortuary alive
Jan 22, 2022
Police Political Commissar Asan Kasingye on Saturday tweeted, “miracle! Picked from the morgue alive. Hallelujah.”
Traffic Police officer Harshem Mwenyi (pictured) based in Tororo had come to Kampala to meet his girlfriend (Photo source: Police)
A Police officer who was on Thursday evening picked from Nakulabye after being lynched, presumed dead, and taken to Mulago mortuary is alive.
Police Constable Harshem Mwenyi was discovered alive by the mortuary attendants but in critical condition and rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Police Political Commissar Asan Kasingye on Saturday tweeted, “miracle! Picked from the morgue alive. Hallelujah.”
Mwenyi a traffic Policeman Constable attached to Tororo district was lynched after his girlfriend made an alarm accusing him of stealing his phone.
Kasingye indicated that the officer traveled from Tororo to see his girlfriend in Kampala.
“Sad! Mwenyi left his Tororo unit to visit his girlfriend. They had a misunderstanding over messages on her phone. He walked away with the phone. At Makerere-Nakulabye junction, she caught up with him and raised an alarm accusing him of theft. The mob lynched him,” Kasingye said.
On Saturday, Luke Owoyesigyire the Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson said they were investigating the circumstances under which Mwenyi was lynched by a mob around the Nicodemus Pork Joint in Nakulabye on the night of January 20, 2022.
“The territorial police at Old Kampala are investigating an incident of attempted murder of No.63356 Police Constable Mwenyi attached to Tororo Central Police Station. The gruesome attack by a mob happened on Thursday at about 9:50 am in Nakulabye, Makerere Road when a group of people, yet to be identified, ganged on the officer and hit him continuously after a woman, yet to be identified and believed to be his girlfriend, screamed that thieves had taken her phone,” Owoyesigyire said.
He said police at Nakulabye Police Post were informed and in a few minutes they had arrived at the scene. “At the scene, an iron bar believed to be among weapons used to hit him was picked and has been exhibited. The officer is currently admitted in Mulago but in critical condition.
Investigators recovered his police warrant card on him. Circumstances that led to the mob justice are still under inquiry, there is an allegation however that the victim had a misunderstanding with the girlfriend.
He grabbed her phone. As he was checking the phone details, his girlfriend made an alarm that her phone had been stolen hence the mob ganging up on him,” Owoyesigyire added.
He said police recovered the CCTV footage in the area to help identify whoever participated in this act.
“The public should know that acts of mob justice are illegal and punishable within the law”.
Police did not however explain why they rushed the officer to the mortuary before finding out whether he was actually dead. It remains unclear just how many other victims are rushed to the morgue and declared dead when they are actually alive.
No Comment