Police dismiss officer whose gun was used in Bhandari shooting

KAMPALA, UGANDA: Police have dismissed Steven Mulombo (a Police Constable by rank), whose gun was used by his colleague PC Ivan Wabwire in the shooting of Uttam Bhandari, an Indian moneylender last week at Parliamentary Avenue in Kampala.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga speaking to the media on Monday said Bhandari’s killing could have been avoided if Mulombo had not left his gun unattended in the room that he shared with PC Wabwire, and therefore he has been punished for negligence and failing to secure his weapon.

“Our policy on the use of firearms demands that PC Mulombo should have returned the gun to the armoury before moving out of the station. But without lawful permission, he sneaked out of the station to attend to a personal matter, which is an outright case of gross indiscipline and negligence,” Enanga said.

“As a result, he has been charged in the disciplinary court with discreditable conduct and has been dismissed from the Force,” he added.

Enanga added that a file has been prepared and sent to the Director of Criminal Investigations for Mulombo tone charged in law courts for neglect of duty since he is now a civilian.

The police spokesperson added that they have now issued very stringent guidelines on gun handling and use of force by all their officers which according to him will help improve public trust and confidence and even promote better gun handling skills and improve community safety.

“We are identifying police officers for refresher courses on gun handling, scenario-based exercises, anger management and de-escalation techniques,” he said.

The officer’s sacking comes barely a week after President Museveni Saturday issued a statement questioning police bosses on their responsibility in regard to the murder incident on Parliament Avenue in the centre of Kampala city.

Some of the questions inside the President’s statement included: How did an officer who was not on duty access a gun; how are guns stored in the police and did Wabwire walk away from his guard post without permission with a gun to commit a crime?

Meanwhile, the killer policeman PC Ivan Wabwire was Sunday morning arrested in Busia Municipality near his village where he had gone into hiding and was trying to cross into Kenya and was transferred to CPS Kampala where he appeared before Buganda Road Court and admitted to fatally shooting the Asian businessman.