Court orders CID officer to pay Shs40m for 'gross impunity'

Ms Stella Nankunda, OC CID for Namutumba Police Station found guilty of illegally detaining two public servants who had gone to issue a woman with legal documents

IGANGA | A court has ruled that a Criminal Investigations Department officer exhibited "gross impunity and abuse of the police uniform" and now she must pay Shs40 million to her accusers.

The Iganga Chief Magistrate's Court found Namutumba OC CID Stella Nankunda guilty of  infringing on the personal liberty of two process servers, Micheal Kaluusi and Richard Mwesigwa, when she illegally arrested and detained the public servants who had sought the police's intervention.

"There is [a] need to grant all reliefs herein sought to deter errant arrogant officers of the Uganda Police like Ms Nankunda who act with gross impunity and abuse of the police uniform," Chief Magistrate Daniel Epobu Kiboko said in the May 15 ruling.

Kiboko was in no compromising mood in the ruling as she whipped Ms Nankunda with further orders that the Shs40 million attracts a 10-percent interest from the date of the ruling.

CID Officer Nankunda tested the depth of the river with both feet on December, 14 2023, when two process servers filed a case of assault against Sulaina Logose to whom they had gone to effect service.

A process server is a support role in the legal and court system. Process servers hand deliver official court and legal documents such as subpoenas, summons, complaints, and more to individuals involved in court cases.

As the OC CID at Namutumba Police Station, Ms Nankunda instead, "without justification", ordered for their detention from 2pm to 7pm.

The court heard that the officer rudely told the two process servers of her ethnic background and that she had the authority to do as she pleased and bragged that their file number SD 59/14/12/2023 could as well be considered gone.

Magistrate Kiboko decided to whip Ms Nankunda down to size, ordering her to issue a written public apology to the two process servers within 30 days from the ruling.

Kiboko said Kaluusi's and Mwesigwa's claims for Shs40 million in damages presented by their lawyers Steven Kalali of M/s Ssekaana Associated Advocates & Consultants, was "just and equitable".

For Ms Nankunda and her lawyers, Musa Ssemwogerere of Ms Law Advocates, an appeal appears to be the way to go stop the deterrent punishment in which Magistrate Kiboko called for her head to roll.