By Musa Mbogo
In Mbarara, the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) Tribunal has this week delivered a series of rulings that have left government accountants scratching their heads and some officers in uniform shifting uneasily in their seats.
By the close of Tuesday’s sitting, a hefty UGX 160m had been slapped on the State, damages arising from what the Tribunal described as unjustifiable and unlawful violations committed by security personnel.
The biggest bombshell didn’t land at the end, but exploded right at the heart of a case involving the late Sserestino Tumwijukye, a youthful boda boda rider from Mitooma whose life was cut short in March 2015. Evidence before the Tribunal painted a grim scene, that Tumwijukye, who had merely come to Mucunguzi trading centre to deliver passengers, was shot three times by Sgt. Bagambirye, then the OC of Kashongororo Police Post.
UHRC Chairperson Hon. Mariam Wangadya, who read the ruling, spared no words. According to her, the officer’s decision to fire at an unarmed rider (who had not committed any offence and wasn’t even resisting arrest) was a clear sign of a system that had failed to protect the very citizens it polices.
The twist came when the Tribunal cited a letter from the Mitooma District Police Commander confirming that a murder case had indeed been opened against Sgt. Bagambirye. The Commission concluded that the officer acted intentionally, not accidentally, making the death of Tumwijukye a matter of deliberate abuse of power, not a tragic mishap.
As a result, government was ordered to cough up UGX 80 million, with UGX 5 million each for Tumwijukye’s widow Scovia Twikirize and mother Leticia Birungi, while the remaining balance is to be managed by family head Vissensio Mucunguzi for the benefit of the deceased’s children.
A second ruling, delivered by Commissioner Shifrah Lukwago, revisited the 2013 death of Benard Muhoozi, a cattle trader who collapsed and died in a Sheema police cell under unclear circumstances. His widow, Ms. Mucunguzi, told the Tribunal that her husband’s body had been ferried home in a police vehicle, an action UHRC interpreted as an admission that the deceased indeed died while under State custody.
The Tribunal awarded another UGX 80 million to the family, adding to the financial weight already pushing the State to the wall.
Meanwhile, not all complainants walked away with victory. Two cases were dismissed after failing the evidentiary threshold, a reminder that UHRC still demands proof, even in the face of public sympathy.
This week alone, UHRC, sitting as a full panel in Mbarara, is handling 19 complaints, with Commissioners Simeo Nsubuga and Jacklet Atuhaire Rwabukurukuru joining the Chairperson in the marathon tribunal sessions.
While the police hierarchy stays tight-lipped, the rulings have revived old questions, of how many more civilians have silently died or suffered under the watch of security officers? And how many more billions will the taxpayer foot because of reckless conduct in the force?
Under Article 53, UHRC continues to hold the mandate to hear complaints of rights violations and offer redress. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
