Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Directorate on Monday morning arrested three journalists attached to SpyReports, an online news outlet, over a story they allegedly published about Commissioner of Police Moses Kafeero, the Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) commander.
The three journalists include; Raymond Wamala, Milton
Tumusiime and Johnson Taremwa.
They’re currently being interrogated in the office of the Head Media Crimes
directorate CP Henry Mugumya .
It’s alleged in their story titled ‘Personal Assistant to Police Boss Faces 10 Years in Jail Over Robbery’ published on July 19th, 2019 that Paul Mushkom, the personal assistant to Frank Mwesigwa, the former KMP commander, was likely to face 10 years in prison in case he was convicted on robbery charges.
Frank Mwesigwa was replaced by Moses Kafeero after the sacking of former Police Chief Gen.Kale Kayihura.
However, according to the SpyReports story, it was alleged that Mushkom two
months back used his counter terrorism tricks and sneaked into the Commander’s
wing at Central Police Station, opened the office of Doreen Tumwebaze, who acts
as staff officer for Kampala Metropolitan Police and stole over Shs200,000.
They also alleged that Mushkom was later arrested by Kafeero’s boys and
tortured by over 10 police officers before he was caged.
It was also alleged that Mushkom’s torturers wanted him to confess that he had
been sent by his boss Frank, something he refused to do.
The journalists went on to allege that Mushkom was later charged with office
breaking and theft but Kafeero recorded a statement and said he was armed by
the time of breaking.
It was also alleged that Kafeero also made Doreen record a
statement pinning Muskom that he put her on gun point, although she declined
and insisted that she was not in office at the time of break in.
Kafeero then alledgly ordered detectives to revise the charges from office breaking
and theft to aggravated robbery, before sending the file to the Directorate of
Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Mushkom was therafter produced at Buganda Road court where he was denied bail
and remanded to Luzira Prison.
However, his lawyers fear for Mushkom’s life because the offense he is charged with
attracts a minimum of 10 years in jail upon conviction.
The story further alleged that Kafeero and Mwesigwa do not see eye to eye ever since one replaced the other.
