Why Wakiso land officials were released

WAKISO    LAND   OFFICIALS

On Friday evening, relatives and lawyers of the arrested Wakiso district land officials stormed offices of the Kampala Metropolitan Criminal Investigations Chief, Detective Senior Superintendent of Police (D/SSP) Johnson Olal Dale, upon getting information that suspects had been transferred there.

They were demanding for their unconditional release pending investigations that being conducted at the Kampala Central Police Station.

The suspects were arrested following an impromptu raid at their land offices by a team of State House anti-corruption unit led by Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema and Police officers led by Kampala Metropolitan Police Chief, Moses Kafeero, D/SSP Olal, among others.

The raid
The raid was allegedly conducted following a tip off from an informer, who alleged there were fraudsters at Wakiso land offices who were frustrating issuance of land titles to lure members of the public first give them bribes.

It is further reported that when Nakalema's team arrived at the Wakiso district land offices, they sealed them off and also locked up all the occupants until a thorough search was concluded.

Evidence of bribery?
It is alleged that the land officers had received bribes through the purported agents.

"If there is evidence pinning our people into the purported fraud/bribery cases, let the authorities arraign them to Courts of law, if not, they should be set free. I think Nakalema was misled in the whole thing because I doubt they have evidence against any of the people they arrested," one of the victim's relative said.

Suspects found with money
It is alleged that out of the 23 suspects, only six were holding serious offices and were found with cash money ranging between sh450,000 to sh1,000,000.

"The one who was found with one million had just returned from abroad where he had gone to receive cancer treatment. Actually that money was part of the balance he remained with after the treatment. Why arrest people and film them with cameras before getting them in the action red-handed?" one of the suspects wondered.

 Relatives camped at Police 

Meeting between relatives and Police
At around 6pm, officials including KMP investigations chief, Olal,
KMP Deputy Commandant, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Denis Namuwoza
 and representatives from the State House anti-corruption unit, engaged in a closed door meeting to discuss on the fate of the suspects.

As the meeting went on, Police detectives were also recording statements from the suspects.

The meeting lasted for about two hours and after, Olal told the relatives, they were free to stand surety to their people to have them released on bond.

Excitement in the night
The news caused excitement among them since they had desperately waited for hours in a bid to secure justice for them.

 When the team stormed the land offices

However, an inside source has intimated to us that so far, investigations have commenced into the alleged  corruption against the  23 suspects although the challenge remains on finding the pinning evidence to be used against them.

"We have decided to release all the 23 on bond but they will be reporting back until we conclude their cases," Olal said.