Nateete police post fire: Cop admits incompetence

By Hillary Nsambu

Police Constable John Stephen Okello has admitted he was not competent to investigate and prefer a charge of terrorism against the men who allegedly burnt down Nateete Police Station.

Okello admitted that he was too junior to conduct the investigations of the charge that required an officer at the rank of a Superintendent—a position higher than that of a Constable in the Force hierarchy.

He was under a barrage of questions by defense lawyer Medard Seggona on his second day of testimony in a terrorism charge against 18 men indicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The case of the 18 men is a development of the massive rioting in Kampala on September 10, 2009 that was sparked off by government’s refusal to let the Kabaka of Buganda travel to Kayunga.

To many, the incident which occurred three years ago and turned riotous has since been dubbed the ‘Buganda Riots’.
Justice Ralph Ochan of the High Court is presiding over the case.  Senior Principal State Attorney Vincent Wagon is prosecuting.

"Although terrorism is one of the serious charges whose investigations required police officers at the rank of a Superintendent, I investigated it as the IO (investigating officer) and preferred the charge against the suspects after my superiors had sanctioned it," Okello told Court.

However, when questioned further, the witness conceded that he was too junior to handle the investigations, which would be inconsequential if he singularly conducted them.

"I agree the charging of the suspects with the offence of terrorism would require an officer at the rank of a Superintendent. I would not say that it was a nullity although I suggested the charge against the accused men because I did not handle it alone," Okello said without telling Court who the other officers were in this case as far as its investigations were concerned.

Okello explained that Kamad aNsubuga, who was identified as one of the notorious rioters that burnt the police station on the fateful day, was inside the police cells together with others and was only let out by the officer in charge of the station (OC), Wasiima, who acted on humanitarian grounds that they would perish under the inferno.  

Asked why he had to charge Nsubuga with torching the police station, Okello said he received information that when he [Nsubuga] was released, he did not go away but remained in the precincts and participated in the violence.

He said the red car of the accused that was parked at the station was not burnt.

Okello also admitted in his protracted cross-examination on how he carried out his forensic investigations that he forged exhibit receipts on which he wrote recovered items after the burning of the police post.

The witness said he wrote names of police officers on the exhibit receipts and initialed their names on them to seem as though the officers had received the items, yet they had not received them.

When asked whether he had forged the documents, he apologized without elaborating.