Tinyefuza Bodyguards Assault Policemen

Mar 16, 2002

ESCORTS of Lt. Gen. David Tinyefuza on Thursday night assaulted policemen at Kabalagala Police post and beat them before disarming them.

By Geoffrey Kamaliand Grace MatsikoESCORTS of Lt. Gen. David Tinyefuza on Thursday night assaulted policemen at Kabalagala Police post and beat them before disarming them.Tinyefuza, Senior Presidential Advisor on Defence, had called his Military Police escorts from his home in Kyengera on the Kampala-Masaka highway, after the Police officers refused to detain in his chief bodyguard, Sgt. John Bemanyisa, whom he was accusing of indsicipline.The Police officers did not recognise the General and engaged him in a verbal exchange, prompting him to call the guards.Police chief, Maj. Gen. Katumba Wamala, said he had ordered the CID to investigate the incident. He said there was no conflict between the armed forces.“I have asked them to establish what happened exactly,” Katumba told reporters at his office in Kampala yesterday.A report availed to Katumba said Tinyefuza attempted to disarm Bemanyisa at Kabalagala Police post, dropping his pistol in the process.One of the policemen, however, picked the pistol up and quickly tossed it out of the window, fearing the worst, but annoying Tinyefuza further. Later, Tinyefuza’s escorts arrived at the Police post and overpowered the policemen, disarmed and beat them up. Blood stains were still visible at the Kabalagala Police post floor yesterday afternoon. After the scuffle, the escorts led the policemen to Makindye Military Police barracks where they spent about 50 minutes. Their demands to have the policemen detained were rejected by the Commandant, Major Dick Bugingo.A source told The New Vision last evening that Tinyefuza had invited the policemen to his Kyengera home for “a chat” and apologised to them.He also vowed to punish his bodyguards for insurbodination.Tinyefuza, through his aide, Charles Mukasa, confirmed the incident but blamed his escorts. He said the escorts were yesterday arrested and investigations into their conduct were going on.“Afande is not happy with what happened. Action is going to be taken against the escorts,” Mukasa said.Mukasa said, “The issue is that his driver took away the car. When he finished meeting friends, he found the vehicle was not there. He asked the chief escort where the vehicle was. The Sergeant did not have an answer.”Sources said Tinyefuza hired a vehicle from Capital Pub where he had been drinking with friends, and took the Sergeant to Police but he was met with hostile reception, which angered him and a verbal exchange ensued.Ends

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});