By KT Reporter
The Inspector General of Police, Abbas Byakagaba, has moved the Land Protection Unit (LPU) from the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) under Maj. Tom Magambo, to the Directorate of Human Rights and Legal Services, which is headed by Assistant Inspector General of Police, Charles Kataratambi.
Police Spokesperson, Kituuma Rusoke, confirmed on Monday that IGP Byakagaba had made the decision to transfer the LPU from the CID to the Legal Directorate and appointed Commissioner of Police, James Kusemererwa, as its new head.
“The Inspector General of Police has appointed CP James Kusemererwa as the head of the Land Protection Police Unit, with ACP Musani Sabila serving as his deputy. Previously overseen by the Directorate of CID, the Land Protection Unit is now under the Directorate of Human Rights & Legal Services,” Rusoke stated.
The LPU, previously under the CID, has been struggling, with several cases lingering for years without resolution. Numerous land evictions have been carried out without proper due diligence, as CID officers at various police stations or divisions would clear vacant land occupancy, as instructed by courts, without actually visiting the sites to verify the nature of the property.
Corruption and bribery have been persistent issues, with numerous land fraud cases consistently appearing in annual police crime reports as pending investigations, even though victims have already been evicted. For example, police’s latest annual crime report shows that less than 30 out of more than 300 land fraud cases reported each year ever reach court.
“Courts have been erroneously ordering evictions, sometimes influenced by the supposed investigations conducted by corrupt investigators in the LPU under CID. In some cases, CID officers, station, or division commanders are involved in the racket, and evictions are carried out without verifying the legitimacy of the claimants. LPU under CID has mishandled land fraud investigations for years,” a senior security officer stated.
Many police officers, who have also been victims of the LPU’s failures under CID, are hopeful that the unit’s move to the Legal Directorate, which is based at the Naguru police headquarters, will bring new life to the handling of land issues.
Rusoke emphasized that the changes made by IGP Byakagaba are intended to improve the LPU’s ability to address land-related conflicts. “This restructuring aims to enhance the unit’s capacity to address the legal, operational, and criminal aspects of land-related conflicts, recognizing that most land disputes involve both civil and criminal elements,” Rusoke explained.
A month ago, President Yoweri Museveni visited Kiboga district to intervene in a case involving the eviction of people from a 640-acre plot of land. It was discovered that detectives and court officials had been complicit in the inaccurate eviction. Museveni ordered the arrest of some of the involved officials-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
