Police officer remanded for 'soliciting a bribe'

Feb 06, 2014

The hunter becomes the hunted. The Officer in Charge Rubaga police post has been charged at Anti-Corruption court and remanded to Luzira Prison for soliciting a bribe.

By Job Bwire

The hunter becomes the hunted. The Officer in Charge Rubaga police post has been charged at Anti-Corruption court and remanded to Luzira Prison for soliciting a bribe.


Detective Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP), Nelson Nsingwire was on Thursday charged before the Principal Magistrate Grade one, Michael Lagara for soliciting a bribe of sh80, 000 from a one, Moses Kalyango as an inducement to allow him effect the arrest of a suspect in an assault case.

Nsingwire was charged with two counts, including soliciting a bribe and accepting gratification, contrary to section 2(a) and 26 of the Anticorruption Act 2009.

He denied the charges and was remanded to Luzira prison after his bail application was dismissed.

Prosecution alleges that between October 1 and 2 last year at Rubaga police post, Nsingwire, 35 and resident of Nansana, Wakiso district solicited for the said money as an inducement to allow him effect an arrest in an assault case.

In the second count, prosecution alleges that on October 2, last year at Rubaga Police post, Nsingwire corruptly received a gratification of the said money to enable him to arrest a suspect.

Nsingwire’s lawyer, Denis Kwizera’s plea to release his client on bail fell on Lagara’s deaf ear. Lagara said that all the four sureties presented by Nsingwire were unsubstantial before he adjourned the matter to February 20 for further mention and bail application.

“Besides, the subject matter (money) may not be high/big but bribery cases, especially amongst the police officers have become rampant and have caused a public outcry,” Lagara said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, police at Special Investigations Unit in Kireka arrested another police officer, AIP Oderwa Inaro for soliciting a bribe.

According to the deputy commandant of police at Special Investigations Unit(SIU), Francis Olugo, Inaro the O/C Makindye police post was arrested at his work station for soliciting a bribe of sh50, 000 to cancel a police bond of a suspect.

“Upon his arrest, Inaro denied but when we searched him, we found the money hidden in his underpants,” Olugu said in a telephone interview.
Olugu said Inaro will be arraigned in court and charged as soon as investigations into the allegations are complete.

This comes barely a month after other two police officers attached to Lira Police station were arrested charged in the same court over similar charges.

On January 20 this year, AIP Moses Odongo and Detective Constable Julius Opira were also charged and remanded to Luzira prison over allegations of soliciting a bribe of sh700, 000.Their case is coming up on February 10, for their bail application and further hearing.

These developments come after the East African Bribery Index 2013 conducted in the five East African Community member states — Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania — ranked the Ugandan police as the most corrupt institution.

But police has disputed the allegations, maintaining that the figures on corruption and bribery amongst the officials have been on a decline.

In 2009, 208 cases of corruption amongst the officials were reported as compared to 155 cases reported in 2010, according to police.

In 2011, 93 cases were reported; 2012-97 cases and 2013-49 cases of bribery and corruption were recorded.

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