City lawyer wants autonomous organ to oversee Police

Mar 13, 2018

Ssemakadde argues that although the law places the force under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the ministry over the years has devoted its efforts to the issuance of passports.

KAMPALA - Kampala lawyer Isaac Ssemakade has advised the Government to establish an independent body to monitor the activities of the Police Force.

Ssemakadde argues that although the law places the force under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the ministry over the years has devoted its efforts to the issuance of passports and less to do with the supervision of the Police Force.

He adds that the Police standards unit itself is not independent to regulate the conduct of every Police officers, who may act ultra vires, saying that the unit is suffering insubordination and cannot act independently.

Ssemakadde accuses the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen. Kale Kayihura of messing it up by deploying only those who were loyal to him as members of the unit.

The lawyer's remarks come after President Yoweri Museveni appointed Martin Okoth Ochola as IGP, replacing Kayihura, who had headed the force for the last 13 years.

Ssemakadde argued that taking international benchmarks, countries like Kenya, South Africa and the UK and US all have these organs, something he says has helped them to instill discipline in their r Police Forces. He asserts that unless such a body is instituted, the recent changes that were made by the President in the force will not change the face of the Police before the eyes of the public.

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