Principal Judge writes to Police over land evictions

The issue of land evictions which has at times affecting families and other vulnerable groups has over the years been as tough as they come.

With Police playing an integral role in effecting land evictions, Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine has written to Police's top echelon in an attempt to have the roles played by the two entities streamlined.

According to the Supreme Court registrar, Vicent Mugabo, the reason behind justice Bamwine's letter is the decision by Police to stay all land evictions until they sanction the same.

Mugabo made the revelation during an interface with lawmakers sitting on the legal and parliamentary affairs committee earlier on Tuesday.

Mugabo was part of a team of technocrats led by the secretary to the judiciary, Kagole Kivumbi, who were at Parliament to discuss the judiciary's policy statement for the financial year 2019/20.

"The Police action in away is a usurpation of the courts' power," Mugabo said. "By staying land evictions sanctioned by the court until it clears the same, Police in a way would be in contempt of court."

The development comes in the wake of a recent order by High Court judge Musa Ssekana directing the government to come up with uniform guidelines to be followed in land evictions.

Mugabo told MPs that the government is yet to issue the said guidelines two months down the road.

One of the terms of reference to the justice Catherine Bamugemereire commission of inquiry into the land sector is to find out the root cause of incessant land evictions in the country.