Police Questioned Over Suspect Over-Detention and Use of Buckets as Toilets

Legislators sitting on the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament are concerned that in this era there are police stations where both female and male suspected are being detained in the same cells.

According to the MPs, out of the 72 police stations sampled by the Auditor General, only 11 stations have separate cells for the different categories of offenders with the rest having suspects being detained in the same detention facilities.

The officials from the Uganda Police force led by the Director of ICT Felix Baryamwisaki and the Undersecretary Aggrey Wunyi on Monday appeared before the Public Accounts Committee to respond to queries raised in the auditor generals report for the financial year 2022/2023.

In this interface the committee started by tasking the Uganda Police to explain why the entity continue to detain suspects beyond the recommended 48 hours.

According to the chairperson of the committee, Muwanga Kivumbi, the report of the Auditor General in the sampled 42 police stations, it was found out that 362 suspects has been detained beyond a period of two weeks which is against the law.

The most affected police stations are Kasangati and Nakasongola.

” Why is it that Kasangati where my President of NUP Robert Kyagulanyi and Dr. Kiiza Besigye come from is the station that has suspects that have spent more than two weeks in the detention facility,” Muwanga wondered.

The committee also observed that out of the 60 sampled police stations, some don’t have separate cells for the suspects with teenagers, female and male suspects being detained in the same cells.

The issue of the bucket system in majority of the police stations also angered legislators.

“Can you imagine where both male and female offenders have been put in a detention facility and are using the same bucket,” Sarah Opendi exclaimed.

“I think we need to put these officers before us in the same room just for one day and we see the outcome.”

According to the legislators, the bucket system is still being practiced in the police stations of Palisa, Hoima, Kikube, Mbarara, Rukiga, Kasese, Obongi, Adjuman, Moyo, Terego, Gulu among others.