IP Byamugisha makeshift house
The fight for space between serving and retired police officers including their civilian relatives in Nsambya police barracks is far from ending. One of the groups is loyal to the commandant of the barracks Assistant Commissioner of Police –ACP, Amos Gumisiriza while another is opposed to his method of allocating space and housing units in the barracks.
Those opposed to Gumisiriza claim that they acquired the spaces where they built their temporary structures (makeshifts) and housing units from his predecessor, Senior Superintendent of Police–SSP Juma Okungo, who retired last year. several civilians related to serving and retired police officers who were occupying police housing units were Gumisira’s target when he took over in October last year.
In an interview with our reporter, Gumisiriza said he could not allow civilians to occupy units meant for police officers or occupy space where serving officers can erect makeshifts for their accommodation or small businesses.
“If you are a son or daughter to a serving or retired police officer and you are now an adult, what are you still looking for in the barracks? You are not a police officer, why should you have a house in the barracks when police officers do not have one?” ACP Gumisiriza asked.
The opposing group comprises over 20 civilians, retired and serving police officers and it fronts Steven Kafuko.
Our reporter has learned that Kafuko is the son of a serving female police officer currently serving at Jinja Road police station in Nakawa Division in Kampala.
Kafuko is the Chairman of the Nsambya barracks zone whose re-election is currently being challenged in Makindye court. Kafuko insists he was allocated a house in 2019 by ACP Abby Kisubi, who was then police commissioner in charge of barracks administration.
Our reporter has seen an April 12, 2019 letter in, which Kisubi allocates Kafuko a house to stay in as an area Chairman. This letter was copied to the Assistant Inspector General of Police –AIGP Human Resource Administration (HRA) then Moses Balimwoyo, and AIGP in charge of Chief Political Commissariat (CPC) then, Asan Kasingye.
In his letter Kisubi justified his decision to allocate Kafuko a house, saying that the Chairman living outside the barracks was challenging to attend to civilian matters within the barracks. At the time, Kafuko was living in Kansanga.
“Having consulted and analyzed the role played by LCs in the barracks, we find it reasonable for the Chairman to make himself available within the local community where services are required so that he gets to understand the dynamics of our people. By copy of this communication, you are directed to urgently identify office accommodation for this purpose,” Kisubi said.
But on December 29, 2022, Gumisiriza issued an eviction notice after allocating Kafuko’s house to another police officer at the rank of ASP. Kafuko said by the time he returned from the Christmas holiday, he found his household items outside.
“The house was broken into in my absence and my items were thrown outside. I am not illegally living in the house. It was allocated to me. It is now a month and I cannot access some of my items because there is a new padlock,” Kafuko said.
Both serving and retired police officers have also complained of similar action. In his response, Gumisiriza said Nsambya barracks is home to about 15,000 people with the majority being relatives of both serving and retired police officers.
Gumisiriza insists that if someone’s father or mother retired from the force or the person who came in as a child is now an adult, they cannot enjoy privileges meant for serving police officers.
“I know Kafuko had been allocated a house and he has been living in it as this area’s Chairman. But he is no longer the Chairman. The voters challenged his election. No one should occupy a house or allocate himself space without any justification,” Gumisiriza said.
Inspector of Police –IP Byamugisha who is one of the most cited in the fracas, said he identified an empty space, applied to the barracks commandant and it was allocated to him. “When you identify space, you write to the commandant. He sends his team or visits the site to find out. I followed the procedures and I was allocated space,” Byamugisha said.
But the affected police officers and Kafuko insist that Byamugisha demolished a community leadership structure and erected his makeshift rentals. URN saw Byamugisha’s structure, which was erected using wooden poles and iron sheets.
-URN
