By Robert Segawa
The Commander of Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP), ACP Ezekiel Emitu, has explained the circumstances surrounding the arrest of a woman at Kasangati Police Station, following allegations by police officer Fatina Mukolerwa that her superiors failed to support her after she was allegedly assaulted during the arrest.
Mukolerwa reportedly took her grievances to social media after being arrested, claiming that she had not received the necessary support from her bosses following an altercation with a female suspect identified as Arinaitwe Sylvia.
However, in an exclusive telephone interview, Emitu said he only learnt about Sylvia’s arrest on Friday evening at around 8:00pm after receiving a call from the Personal Assistant to the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
“I got a call from the PA to the IGP saying that there was a mother of two young children who was in custody at Kasangati Police Station, and I was not aware of her arrest. I said, let me inquire,” Emitu said.
He said he subsequently contacted the Division Police Commander (DPC) to establish what had happened, but the DPC was also unaware of the arrest.
Fatina Mukolerwa, the woman police officer
“I called the DPC about the arrest of Arinaitwe Sylvia and the DPC was also not aware. I ordered him to go and find out and later brief me,” he said.
According to Emitu, the DPC later confirmed that Sylvia was indeed being held at the station. Upon making further inquiries, the DPC established that Mukolerwa was the investigating officer handling the case.
Emitu said police then sought an explanation regarding the circumstances that had led to Sylvia’s arrest and were informed that the matter was linked to a long-running domestic dispute involving Sylvia and her husband, who is a soldier.
“The man has been having domestic issues with his wife for a long time, almost five years. The man wanted to sell off their marital home, but the wife rejected the idea, and that was the cause of their domestic issues,” Emitu said.
He alleged that the husband later contacted Mukolerwa and they planned the woman’s arrest as he sought to proceed with the sale of the family home.
Emitu further alleged that potential buyers had already inspected the property and were prepared to pay for it while Sylvia remained in police custody.
The KMP commander said that after being briefed about the circumstances surrounding the arrest and learning that a police officer was involved, he ordered that Sylvia be released.
He said the subsequent disagreement arose after the intended transaction did not proceed as planned, after which the police officer allegedly turned to social media to complain that she had not received assistance from her superiors.
Emitu also questioned the procedure followed in the arrest, saying that senior officers at the station were not informed.
“Any arrest to be conducted, the DPC or OC Station must be in the know, but in this arrest they were not informed,” he said.
The KMP commander warned police officers against using social media to air grievances or accuse the institution and their superiors, saying such conduct amounts to indiscipline and can attract disciplinary action.
“Any officer who uses social media accusing the institution or his or her bosses commits an offence and he or she must be charged accordingly,” Emitu said.
He urged officers with complaints to use established internal mechanisms, including the Police Standards Unit (PSU) and the office of the IGP.
“There are very many ways how an officer can show his or her dissatisfaction without resorting to social media. Police has PSU, and there is the office of the IGP which is always open to receive and handle complaints from officers,” he said.
Emitu maintained that indiscipline within the police force would not be tolerated and called on officers to follow the established chain of command when carrying out arrests and handling grievances.
