A few days after Police Commissioner Eldard Mugume was remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of abuse of office, details have emerged regarding the recruitment of six women that is central to the case.
The six women are Lizzie Namulinda, Aisha Namukasa, Lilly Birungi, Jasper Ekyoheirwe, Pearl Kainembabazi, and Eva Amumpaire.
Documents related to their recruitment indicate that they allegedly joined the Uganda Police Force in 2011 as Special Police Constables (SPCs), receiving a monthly allowance of Shs195,000 in accordance with their temporary status.
At the time the six women joined the police, the Force was transitioning from a manual to an electronic payroll system.
As a result, records show that police management sought university students with knowledge of ICT and Human Resource Management to enter data and manage the new electronic payroll records system.
Their appointments were formalised in a letter dated August 25, 2011, addressed to the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Personnel Management and signed by the then AIGP on behalf of the Inspector General of Police.
In February 2013, the Police Advisory Committee (PAC), one of the Force’s top decision-making bodies, reviewed the status of the graduate SPCs.
PAC noted that the women had completed their university studies and could not remain at the entry-level rank, which was originally designated for individuals with O-Level qualifications.
The committee agreed that they should be regraded to the rank of Inspector of Police, subject to undergoing basic police training.
The minutes of the PAC meeting held on February 13, 2013, state:
“PAC noted the need for the officers to undergo basic police training as they are going to be given police ranks. PAC adopted the presentation and referred the matter to the relevant committee to make the necessary appointment of the six graduate SPCs to inspectorates.”
A follow-up meeting on February 27, 2013, reaffirmed the decision. The committee, citing urgent personnel needs in the Human Resource Department and the performance of the graduate SPCs, resolved to regrade and appoint them to inspectorates.
Records indicate that Commissioner Mugume was not present at this second meeting.
After their regrading, the six continued to serve in the police, with some rising through the ranks to Assistant Superintendent of Police, while others were seconded to government institutions such as the Ministry of ICT and Mulago National Referral Hospital through the Public Service Commission.
Official records signed by senior government officials including the then Permanent Secretary to the Police Authority and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of ICT in 2020 confirm some of these postings. While seconded, the officers remained on the police payroll, which is standard practice.
Despite this documented process, the prosecution maintains that Mugume irregularly recruited the six and elevated them outside proper procedure forming the basis of the case against him.
Senior officers familiar with police procedures, however, argue that recruitment and promotions typically involve collective decisions and formal approvals by committees.
