Gen Kayanja’s Guards Mistakenly Arrested on Different Operation

By Fred Kiva

Two guards, including a UPDF sergeant and an Assistant Inspector of Police attached to General Elly Kayanja, were on Tuesday mistakenly arrested in a joint security operation against the current wave of City robberies.

Both police and the army say the officers were in the same area of the joint security operation (Kinonya, Masanafu Zone) but on a different operation.

On Tuesday, a joint security operation led by the Crime Intelligence, Flying Squad and 999 patrol system raided a rented apartment belonging to Stanley Mulunda, a resident of Kinonya, Masanafu zone, Lubaga division in Kampala.

The operation resulted in a shootout with the suspected criminals, leaving one police constable shot in the leg. The apartment owner, Mulunda was arrested and on searching the house, a number of items including; a number plate UAM046J, 32 live ammunition, two empty magazines, two AK47 rifles, court documents, and a hammer were recovered.

However, there have since been media reports that two guards attached to the General were arrested in the same operation, thus linking the army into the rampant City robberies. On Thursday however, the Police and Army came out to clarify on the matter, with spokespersons of the two security institutions saying that AIP Geoffrey Yiga and Sgt.Muhammad Kalule, all guards attached to Gen Elly Kayanja, were mistakenly arrested while on a different operation in the same area.

“The fact is that the two teams were on different missions in the same area. Our officers who were carrying out an operation at Stanley Mulunda’s rented apartment mistakenly arrested another team,” said Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesman, Patrick Onyango.

“The held security personnel were on another mission, following a suspect on offenses of obtaining Sh52million by false pretense at Lubowa police station,” he added. Onyango explained that the two have since been “released unconditionally” after verification that they were innocent.

The army spokesperson Brig Richard Karemire had earlier maintained the same, saying UPDF would not deny if their officer was arrested in a criminal act.