Four renegade Ugandan police officers were fired from their positions after it was claimed they had stolen Sh4.89 million ($30,000) from a Kenyan businessman in Kampala.
The four, Phiona Among, Isaac Angula, Shafik Baluku, and Bernard Galenda, are in custody and will face charges of aggravated robbery in court, according to a statement from Fred Enanga, the spokesperson for Ugandan police.
According to Enanga, the incident happened in one of the gardens behind the Kabalagala police station last week.
According to him, it all began on January 17 when the victim, a 37-year-old Kisenyi-born Kenyan businessman, and two other people went to the manager of the Royal View Hotel Buziga for help in figuring out the best exchange rate for their $30,000 in cash.
“The hotel manager tipped off a police officer who alerted three others. They reached the hotel and in conspiracy with another person identified as Okello, who pretended to be a foreign exchange broker, arranged for the arrest of the victims,” Enanga said.
The officers then reportedly bundled the victims into a motor vehicle, drove them to Kabalagala barracks road, and eventually to another hotel garden where they allegedly robbed them of the money before releasing them.
After recounting their ordeal, the victims filed a case at the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), leading to the arrest of the four officers.
Searches at the officers’ homes resulted in the recovery of some dollars and other exhibits.
Enanga stated that the four officers would be brought before the police disciplinary court, where they are expected to be dismissed from the force.
Enanga added that this “discreditable conduct of the officers” carries a punishment of dismissal from the force, and thereafter, they shall have them charged with aggravated robbery.
Police said efforts are now in place to find Okello and the manager to have them arrested as they are on the run because of an act of criminality.
