By Del Wilbert Omony
News reaching our desk has put the territorial police commander of Masindi on the spot for fueling un ending land conflicts in her area of operations. Several complaints related to land have been reported to police but to the disappointment of the complaints the investigations have been silenced by this senior personnel Kiribwa Viva Shifa, the District Police Commander (DPC) of Masindi who instead of guiding her juniors allegedly ends up sabotaging the system which has raised criminality with in this District.
Our foot soldiers pitched camp in Masindi gathering facts regarding these allegations has since come up with a conclusive evidence about the growing criminality in this area. The fact findings mission led by our investigations team as far as Isagala Kiryanseka village in Bikonzi subcounty,Masindi District to a one David Kasasira whose cattle was severely cut by well known private security guards deployed by one Hellen Baryayanga a retired police officer at the rank of sergeant whose husband also happens to be a retired commissioner of police.
It’s so heart breaking that such acts of impunity are sanctioned by people who would be assumed to know the law aided by the leaders in an institution mandated to keep law and order to Ugandans and their properties. Our reporters have since discovered that on the 1st of September 2023, at about 2:00am in the morning of this fateful day, David Kasasira while in his house at his home, heard his cows crying and making noise. He goes on to narrate that according to the experience as a cattle keeper, it is a sign that something unusual was happening to his animals and this is when he opened the door to establish what was happening to his dear animals.
To his surprise as he opened the door, he saw people who were hiding with in his cows and as he tried keenly to ascertain the situation someone grabbed him from behind and two armed private security guards carrying guns joined in. ” I was putting on shorts bear chest. That’s when the beating started and one of the attackers said that they should finish me from this point but his colleagues said not from here.”
They tied him with ropes on both hands and at this point they asked him to move. Kasasira requested them to allow him dress up but they denied him access to his house to dress up as the beating intensified. He was taken to the bushes while the beating and torture continued under the command of the private security guards.
He was later alone at about 6:00am taken by these armed private guards to Bujenje police post where a case of criminal trespass was opened against him and and later police transferred him to Masindi Central Police Station where he spent a day and one night. Kasasira was released on a police bond on 3rd September 2023. According to the Chairman of Isagara LC1 Goefrey Rukagyaha and have revealed to Watchdog that the police at Bujenje has become a problem under the command of the DPC, Kiribwa because when the wife of Kasasira went in tears to report the kidnapping of her husband and gracious harm of their cattle the OC of this post refused to enter her complaint that he had been given orders not to enter the complaint by the DPC Masindi.
After the intervention of the Albertine Regional CID officer Mr. Were, he clearly guided that criminal charges should be investigated and perpetrators/ suspects be brought to book. This is when the wife of Kasasira was able to lodge in her complaint under CRB: 1079/2023 Masindi.
But even after the file being handled up to 90% , the DPC has continued playing tricks and intimidating everyone around in a way to frustrate the effort of apprehending these criminals led by a retired police officer Sergeant Hellen Baryayanga. Our foot soldiers caught up with some officers who preferred not to be mentioned but all of them intimated to us that the biggest problem to service delivery is Ms Kiribwa Viva Shifa, the DPC Masindi Police Station.
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