Police has launched out criminal investigations against 21 top police officers who have been accused of using fake academic documents to join the force, local media reports.
The indicted officers are at ranks of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Senior Superintendent of Police, Superintendent of Police, Assistant Superintendent of Police and Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police.
The Daily Monitor reported that on February 15, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dr Benon Mutambi, wrote to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Martins Okoth- Ochola, to institute criminal investigations against the 21 police officers.
Dr Mutambi also forwarded to Mr Ochola the names of the officers who, according to IGG, forged entry documents and in the result were “irregularly promoted.”
He told Mr Ochola that the irregular promotions and recruitments of the said officers were communicated to the police authority during its meeting on January 25, 2019. The affected officers joined police in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
“Under Minute No. 889/2019, the Police Authority resolved to subject the said [21] Officers to criminal investigations,” Dr Mutambi wrote to Mr Ochola.
“The purpose of the letter is to request you to institute criminal investigations against the officers as per the decisions of the Police Authority,” he adds.
Reports indicate that at some point, Gen Kayihura asked Mr Ochola, who headed the police Promotions Committee at the time, to investigate the allegations of nepotism, bribery and unfairness in the recruitment. Later, the whistleblowers took the complaint to the IGG for investigation.
The IGG made a report and asked the Internal Affairs ministry to take action, saying the 21 officers had failed to explain how they entered the police and even got promoted to senior ranks with forged documents.
Police is also looking at 500 questionable promotions on grounds that they skipped some ranks.
The Inspector General of Government Irene Mulyagonja recommended prosecution of the suspects.
“They need to be relieved of their duties and charged in court,” Ms. Mulyagonja said.
