SOURCE: DAILY MONITOR, 27 MAY 2011

Dr Besigye speaks to Inspector Mukite during the walk-to-work demo at Kasangati. 

A police officer who failed to block Kizza Besigye from accessing inner Kampala on Monday to launch the drive, ride-and-hoot segment of the demonstration over soaring fuel and food prices, has been suspended, officials have said.

Inspector Collins Mukite, until Monday the OC Kasangati Police Station, is the most junior to join a growing list of hitherto senior security officers indicted for mishandling the walk-to-work demonstration or Dr Besigye himself.

The officer has been charged with “neglect of duty”, according to Police Spokesperson Judith Nabakooba. She, however, denied that the reprimand followed his failure to stop Dr Besigye, who was last week put under ‘preventive arrest’, from leaving his home.
Despite heavy deployment by police, who even blocked journalists from accessing his house in Kasangati, the opposition politician was later allowed to drive to the inner-city, and he used the day’s evening to blow a vuvuzela in town to launch the daily 5pm, five-minute hoot campaign.

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Ms Nabakooba said: “He failed to deploy the men under him. They weren’t patrolling the area and he was nowhere to be seen.”
District Police Commander James Ruhweza, who is IP Mukite’s direct supervisor, executed the orders, citing Police Act provisions.

Kasangati in Wakiso District, where Dr Besigye resides, has since April 11 when the walk-to-work protests began, become a dicey operational area for security officers.
A number have had their careers turned upside down for not handling the former presidential candidate as preferred by their supervisors.

A top police officer, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said pressure on them and other commanders has heightened since commencement of the protests summoned by the pressure group, Activists for Change. The officer said many colleagues have reportedly pleaded not to be sent on such assignment.

Former Deputy CID director Moses Sakira who failed to put together evidence for a treason case President Museveni pressed against Dr Besigye, alleging he accused him during campaigns of selling Lake Kyoga to foreigners, was the first to be suspended.

Later Jinja Road Police Operations Commander, Mr Alphonse Mutabazi, who chose to escort UPC president Olara Otunnu in his defiance walk from Nakawa Market, a city suburb, to the party headquarters at Uganda House, was briefly fired and only re-deployed to Police Mechanical department following public outcry.

A week ago, Assistant Inspector General of Police and Interpol head, Francis Rwego, and Military Police commander, Lt. Col. Michael Kabango, assigned to oversee security operations during Dr Besigye’s May 12 homecoming, were fired after the crowd accompanying the opposition politician paralysed traffic, and engaged in running battles with soldiers and police, for about nine hours.

Some visiting heads of state, among them Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan, who had come to attend President Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony, reportedly got caught up in the clashes.

Lt. Col. Kabango and Mr Rwego were accused of failing to clear Dr Besigye’s supporters off the thoroughfare to the Airport within an hour as planned.
In a separate interview, Deputy Police Spokesman Vincent Ssekatte, said “IP Mukite abandoned his station at night”