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Suspects accused of stealing coffee in Kalungu District will no longer benefit from police bonds and court bails following a decision by the District Security Committee to enforce tougher measures against the growing vice.
The Chairperson of the District Security Committee and Kalungu Resident District Commissioner, Seifuh Katabaazi, says the decision was reached after security leaders expressed concern over the increasing cases of coffee and food theft affecting farmers and traders in the area.
Speaking during a meeting with leaders of coffee farmer associations, Katabaazi said the committee resolved that suspects arrested over coffee theft should be processed quickly for prosecution instead of being released on bond.
He said the thefts have not only caused financial losses to farmers and coffee dealers but have also affected the quality of coffee produced, since thieves often raid plantations at night and pick coffee beans indiscriminately.
He said security agencies have been directed to ensure suspects face the courts of law for prosecution and possible sentencing.
Katabaazi revealed that in the past month alone, police recorded nine cases of break-ins targeting coffee traders’ stores, where thieves made away with coffee stocks.
The Bail Guidelines for Courts of Judicature Practice Directions, 2022, Legal Notice 8 of 2022 provides that “Where a person is charged with or convicted of a criminal offence, he or she may apply to court to be released on bail, and the court may grant that person bail on such conditions as the court considers reasonable.”
The District Security Committee is a statutory body established under the National Security Council Act to analyse security threats and make recommendations aimed at maintaining law and order within a district. Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Kalungu Coffee Farmers and Processors Cooperatives, Joseph Kiragga, welcomed the decision, saying it will complement farmers’ efforts to fight the problem.
Kiragga said cooperatives had already started mobilising members to form village coffee task forces to respond to the rising theft cases. He said the ten-member village teams have started conducting night patrols in coffee plantations, monitoring suspicious activities and promoting better coffee handling practices.
A coffee farmer from Lukerere Ward in Kalungu Sub County, Sarah Nakagimu, said the increasing theft cases have started discouraging farmers and could negatively affect coffee production in the district.
She appealed to the District Security Committee to increase deployment of security personnel to support the village task forces as a long-term solution to the problem.
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