IGP Abas Byakagaba
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KAMPALA- The Police has said that the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) office is currently drafting guidelines to implement the presidential directive denying police bond to certain suspects.

At the beginning of the year , in his televised New Year’s Address to the nation, the President directed the Police to stop giving police bond to petty criminals, saying it is reducing insecurity in the country. He also said he had asked the judiciary through the Chief Justice to end giving bail to suspected criminals on trial.

This, he said, was because his government had succeeded in stopping major incidents like killings by armed elements like the Allied Democratic Front rebels, as well as murders done by hired hitmen, mainly those returning from the Middle East.   Museveni said that it has worked in the Karamoja Region where the military court does not grant suspected cattle raiders bond or bail, and that this is the reason there is peace there.

 Now while addressing Journalists at Naguru Police Headquarters, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, said that Police cannot disregard presidential directives.  However, they are currently awaiting orders from the Inspector General of Police (IGP). According to Onyango, the IGP’s office is developing guidelines to instruct junior officers on implementing the presidential directive.

“We have heard so many people criticizing the directive, but we cannot ask questions. Once the President directs something, instead, we have to implement the directives. But currently, we’re waiting for the guidelines being made by the Inspector General of Police.” – Patrick Onyango.

He explained that the guidelines will help deter junior officers from abusing the presidential directive by indiscriminately denying police bond to every suspect. He emphasized the need for clear guidelines to ensure police officers are well-directed. “Our officers have to be well guided by these directives; they could simply deny all people the police bond. That is why; the guidelines will help them on what kind of cases cannot be given the police bond and the cases that will continue getting the police bond. Onyango noted.

When a police bond is denied, it will often result in the accused person being held in police custody for several days, leading to overcrowding in police cells. This can exacerbate issues such as poor sanitation, inadequate food and water, and increased risk of disease transmission. But Onyango said that they are ready for whatever challenge.

Legal experts have repeatedly criticized the President’s directive, stating that he lacks the authority to unilaterally ban police bond, which is provided for in Ugandan law. According to the Police Act, police bond is explicitly provided for in both the Criminal Procedure Code Act and the Police Act itself.