The Police leadership has declared Assistant Commission of Police-ACP, Jonathan Baroza, a deserter and is in the process of freezing all payments to his account.
The decision follows the expiry of a deadline given to Baroza to report to work or else be declared a deserter. Baroza left his duty station in Algeria on June 17th 2018 after he was recalled to the Police headquarters in Kampala for redeployment.
He allegedly disappeared in transit to Kampala aboard a Turkish flight prompting the police leadership to give him a five day’s ultimatum on July 17th 2018 to report to police headquarters or be declared a deserter and wanted.
Police officers led by the Mbarara District police commander searched the home of Baroza’s father, Jovas Kabiguruka in Karora Village, Rugando Sub County in Mbarara District over the weekend in vain.
The officers have since sent a report to the Director Human Resource Administration Moses Balimwoyo indicating that Baroza wasn’t at his father’s home. The police Policy and Advisory Committee on which the Inspector General of Police, his deputy, the undersecretary and all directors sit resolved on Wednesday last week to halt all payments to Baroza’s accounts including allowances and salary.
Baroda has been receiving a Salary of Shillings 1.2million and allowances for his stay in Algeria Amounting to Shillings 100million per quarter of Financial year since May 2017.
The police spokesperson Emilian Kayima says, after the five days ultimatum action against Baroza will be taken.
“Appropriate action will be taken now that he has not been seen. You can refer to the communication before,” Kayima told URN when contacted.
Last week the Inspector General of Police Martin Okoth Ochola said the force would search for Baroza everywhere in Uganda and out of Uganda. Desertion is a crime according to the Police Act Section 59, punishable with one year imprisonment upon conviction.
Police Act Section 59. Penalty and definition of desertion.
(1)
A person who deserts the service in the force commits an offence and is liable on conviction by a criminal court to imprisonment for one year.
(2)
A police officer deserts if –
(a) he or she absents himself or herself without authority from his or her unit or formation or from the place where his or her duty requires him or her to be, with the intention of not returning to that unit, formation or place;
(b)while absent with authority from his or her unit or from the place where his or her duty requires him or her to be, during that absence forms the intention of not returning to that unit or place;
(c) while absent with authority from his or her unit or formation or the place where his or her duty requi res him or her to be with the intention of not returning to that unit or formation or place does an act or omits to do an act the natural and probable consequence of which act or omission is to preclude his or her return to that unit or formation or place at the time required.
(3) A person who has been absent without authority for a continuous period of twenty-one days or more shall unless the contrary is proved be presumed to have deserted for purposes of subsections (1) and (2).
(4) Any person who assists, procures, persuades or attempts to assist, procure or persuade another to desert the force commits an offence and is liable on conviction to the same punishment as the deserter.
URN
