The Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, has suspended two police officers in connection with seizing copies of the Forum for Democratic Change manifesto.
Police officers raided MPK printing house on Nasser Road last Friday where the FDC party was printing its manifesto, arrested the workers and confiscated the materials.
Gen Kayihura yesterday suspended the officer in charge of Kampala Central Police Station, Mr Ronald Mugabi, and the station intelligence officer for Kampala, Mr Moses Lukonge, who led the raid.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Mr Patrick Onyango, could not confirm the suspension, but said the two officers had been sent to Police Professional Standards Unit to answer charges of professional misconduct.
“It is true the two officers aren’t in office. The only information I have is that they were ordered to report to PSU to help police investigate the case. You need to talk to headquarters about it,” he said
It is alleged that the duo did not take due diligence to verify the intelligence information before raiding the printing house, which put the institution’s name in disrepute.
Colleagues of the suspended officers told Daily Monitor that they acted on intelligence information provided to them by the Regional Internal Security Office (Riso) that the material which was being printed was seditious.
The intelligence information was later found fake. The Riso, however, distanced himself from the information.
FDC party officials described the raid as continued harassment by the police.
Last Friday, Mr Onyango regretted the incident, but said they were acting on information that the materials were being printed to disrupt the presidential campaigns.
He said police officers went to MPK printers and found that the materials were genuine FDC manifestos and they immediately left without confiscating anything.
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