He also ordered the Buvuma District Police Commander, Micheal Bagoole to ensure that traffic police officers immediately withdraw from the roads until further notice.
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Ssezibwa Region Police Commander, Jaffer Magezi has suspended services of Traffic Police in Buvuma district after complaints that traffic police officers have been extorting money from the road users on a daily basis.
On top of the immediate suspension of the traffic police services, Magezi said that he had also constituted a committee to verify the authenticity of the allegations made by the residents.
He also ordered the Buvuma District Police Commander, Micheal Bagoole to ensure that traffic police officers immediately withdraw from the roads until further notice.
He promised to liaise with the Regional Traffic Police Officer and come up with a conclusive response for the situation.
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Ssezibwa Region Police is comprised of Buikwe, Buvuma, Kayunga and part of Mukono district.
His response followed several complaints by the locals during a ‘Baraza’ (public dialogue) held at Kitamiiro landing site, Buvuma Town Council, organized by Buvuma Deputy Resident District Commissioner Patrick Mubiru and addressed by among others, Buvuma MP Robert Migadde Ndugwa, the Regional Internal Security Officer (RISO) Alex Ssebunya, district NRM officials and other area civic and political leaders.
Hassan Muwanga, a resident of Nambalire village in Kirongo Ward, Busamuzi sub-county reported that from Kirongo landing site to Bukayo village, a bodaboda normally charges sh2000 but because of the extortion of the traffic police officers who made it a routine for each bodaboda rider to pay sh2000 on a daily basis, they are charged sh4000 for the same journey.
“We have been going through this problem for years and we are suffering just because of the traffic police officers whom we believe are paid by the police. What is the use of the sh2000 collected from each bodaboda rider on a daily basis which is affecting us as passengers,” Muwanga asked.
One of the bodaboda riders, in a private interview told New Vision that though they cannot come out openly to accuse the traffic officers in fear of victimization, they have been going through this challenge for over ten years and they are now used.
“What is challenging is the fact that when you fail to pay the sh2000, the officers can pack your motorcycle for a day until you accept to pay them,” said the rider who preferred anonymity.
In response, RPC Magezi said that money is illegal and that he had constituted a committee to investigate the particular traffic police officers who are involved and if evidence pinning them is found, they will face the Police disciplinary committee.
Magezi said that by listening to people’s grievances and having them sorted, they intend to avoid the same people reporting to President Museveni who is about to get to Buvuma to follow up on the progress of the Parish Development Model (PDM) program in the area.
RPC Magezi suspended traffic services on Wednesday, when contacted on phone for an interview on Tuesday after over a week, Ssezibwa Region Police Commander, SP Andrew Kabaya said he had not been informed about the matter.
The locals also reported to the RPC that whenever they report cases to Buvuma Central Police Station, police officers request them to provide money to fuel the transportation of the officers to the scenes of crime.
Gerald Kibuuka, a resident said he was assaulted and reported to police but he was asked to pay sh20,000 to facilitate the police to pick the suspect.
“Unfortunately, I was seeing a police patrol pickup and motorcycles parked at the station! Are we the ones supposed to fuel police pickups and patrols?” Kibuuka inquired.
Others said that they are requested to pay for police bonds, backing letters to renew national IDs and others.
In response, the astonished Ssezibwa RPC Magezi clarified that any police officer demanding for money for police bond, for people seeking backing letters for loss of their national IDs, or for going to collect a suspect reported for crime commission, is liable to dismissal from the force, demotion or other forms of reprimand.
When contacted, the Ssezibwa Region Police Commander, Hellen Butoto said that the DPC Bagoole carried on the investigation and reinstated the traffic police services back on the road.
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