Officer who said Nagirinya’s kidnap was not top of his priorities demoted

The Police disciplinary court has demoted an officer who told his commander that  Nagirinya’s kidnap was not a top priority and that it would be handled the following day.

On the night of August 28, unidentified men kidnapped driver Ronald Kitayimbwa and Nagirinya, a former employee of Community Integrated Development Initiative, an NGO from her at her gate in Busega Lungujja before killing them and their bodies were later found dumped in Mukono.

Following the kidnap and resultant murder of the duo, President Museveni ordered the immediate sacking and prosecution of police officers manning the CCTV camera command control centre in Nateete over negligence.

A total of eight officers were later arrested and arraigned before the police disciplinary court.

However, according to Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, Corporal Samuel Owona who was on the fateful day the deputy signaler at Nateete police station was demoted to a rank below by the police court.

Accordingly, he was demoted to the rank of constable.

During the court proceedings, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Juma Takirambudde, an officer from the Professional Standards Unit who also investigated the case told the police disciplinary court sitting at  Naguru that Owona had said that the kidnap was not a top priority at that time and that it could be handled the following day.

“Basing on your self -recorded statement, you received a communication from the OC station (ASP Muhammad Byansi) informing you about the matter(kidnap) and you told him you would handle the matter in the morning,” Takirambudde told court as he pointed to Owona who was in the dock with seven others.

Owona was also in charge of radio communications on the fateful day.

“When you were asked to take relatives to the CCTV camera control room, you said it would also be done the following morning.”

The witness said that Nagirinya’s vehicle that was used by the kidnappers was captured on camera at Kinawataka at around 12:52 am moving at a speed of 41kilometres headed to Mukono.

“The vehicle passed by Katwe towards Mukono(where the bodies were dumped) and returned using the same route up to Nateete where it was dumped.  If the officer had responded to the call, not only the victims would have been recovered but the other occupants of the vehicle would have been apprehended,” the witness told court.

The court also demoted Corporal Reuben Kibikwamu to constable over his conduct towards Nagirinya’s relatives who sought his help after the kidnap.

Harriet Nakyejwe,40 an elder sister to Nagirinya told the police disciplinary court that Kibikwamu told them that he could not offer them any help.

“We followed the instructions and parked outside the police station. When we asked the police officers to help us check the CCTV cameras one of them who was seated leaning against the chair with his legs crossed and put on top of another chair told us the cameras were not working,”Nakyejwe said.

https://nilepost.co.ug/2019/10/24/nagirinya-murder-police-officers-told-us-cctv-cameras-were-not-working-witness/