Police chief denies role in MUK arrests

Jan 27, 2009

A SENIOR Police officer has denied any involvement in the arrest and forced admission of a Makerere University official to Butabika Hospital.

By Joyce Namutebi

A SENIOR Police officer has denied any involvement in the arrest and forced admission of a Makerere University official to Butabika Hospital.

“I just read about it in the press,” Grace Turyagumanawe, a commissioner of Police, told the Parliamentary committee probing the Police force over violence yesterday. Appearing before the committee chaired by Peter Nyombi in December 2008, Goddy Muhumuza accused his wife, Florence Kembabazi, of conniving with Police officers, Godfrey Bangirana and Turyagumanawe to kidnap him with intent to kill.

“As we recorded evidence from him, your name was mentioned. You are not on trial. We want to establish the truth,” Nyombi said.

Kembabazi recently defended the Police on allegations that they had tortured Muhumuza during the incident in 2007.
She said she secured an urgency order from the hospital on suspicion that her husband had a mental disorder, but added that the Police never tortured him.
“They were enforcing an order,” she said.

Turyagumanawe, who is related to Kembabazi, said when he was the central regional Police commander, Muhumuza reported to him that his gun had been taken away by the Entebbe district Police commander (DPC).
He did not name the DPC.

Turyagumanawe said he contacted the Entebbe DPC who informed him that Muhumuza was having problems with his family, which prompted the removal of the gun.

The DPC investigated the matter, Turyagumanawe said, and referred the case to the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Turyagumanawe said he later learnt that the gun was returned to Muhumuza.
The committee will interview former IGP Katumba Wamala and Dr. Naddumba, the chairman of the board which examined Muhumuza.

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