The UPDF first Division Court Martial chaired by Col Sam Mugyenyi sentenced a Local Defence Unit commander to four months imprisonment for assaulting Mityana district LC5 chairman, Joseph Luzige .
Luzige was last month assaulted by four Local Defence Unit personnel while enforcing the presidential guidelines on Coronavirus and these were consequently arrested.
However, on Tuesday, the army court ruled that the actions of Lance Corporal Simon Peter Angulia, an LDU commander against the district leader showed that he failed to observe restraint as required by the standard operating procedures.
He was consequently sentenced to four months’ imprisonment after being convicted of common assault and is to serve the punishment in a government prison.
Three juniors acquitted
The same court however, acquitted two other LDU personnel who were under the command of Lance Corporal Simon Peter Angulia after evidence indicated that the Mityana LC5 chairman had falsely accused the militants and that it was him that had initiated the fight against them.
Four witnesses including Luzige testified in court and court ruled that there was no proof to show that Isaac Okello and Solomon Odeke, all junior LDU personnel had assaulted and injured the Mityana LC5 chairman’s eye during the July,7, 2020 incident in Mityana town.
“One witness, Dr. Lubogo, a senior medical officer in Mityana denied having treated the district chairperson after the scuffle as had been recorded in the charge sheet and statements. Eye witnesses also proved that it was the district chairman who sparked off the brawl by being the first to violently grab Lance Corporal Angulia Simon Peter by the collar of his military attire while on duty,” UPDF said in a statement.
“The UPDF has a zero tolerance policy on indiscipline and remains respectful to the civilian authority.”
The Mityana incident saw all Local Defence Unit personnel in 10 battalions recalled for a refresher course at the Kakiri barracks in Wakiso for retraining in human rights and law enforcement.
These have since concluded the short course and have since been redeployed but only work at night and together with police.
UPDF sorry over LDU personnel who assaulted Mityana LC5 chairman
