Jailed Commissioner Mugume backed by top police organ

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Eldard Mugume, the Commissioner of Police, was recently remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of abuse of office. Prosecutors allege that in 2013 he irregularly recruited six women as Special Police Constables (SPCs) and later facilitated their appointment as Inspectors of Police.

Uganda Radio Network has accessed extensive documentation showing that the six women in question were first recruited over 15 years ago, during the transition of the Police Force from a manual to an electronic payroll system. The six are: Lizzie Namulinda, Aisha Namukasa, Lilly Birungi, Jasper Ekyoheirwe, Pearl Kainembabazi, and Eva Amumpaire.

At the time, police sought university students with ICT and Human Resource skills to support the digitisation of payroll records. Each was appointed as a Special Police Constable in 2011, with a monthly salary of 195,000 shillings, the rank normally reserved for candidates with at least an S4 education. The appointments were communicated in a letter dated August 25, 2011 from the then AIGP Richard Bisherurwa, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police. The letter listed ten appointees, though only six are the subject of the current case.

On February 13, 2013, the Police Advisory Committee (PAC), chaired by the then Deputy IGP Martins Okoth Ochola, discussed the future of the graduate SPCs. Minutes show that PAC resolved to regrade them to inspectorates, on condition that they undergo basic police training. Two weeks later, on February 27, 2013, another meeting at Police Headquarters—chaired by Commissioner of Police Patrick Isabirye and minuted by Lillian Waidha (now also accused)—approved the regrading, citing urgent staffing needs in the Human Resource Department. Records indicate that Mugume was not part of this second meeting. Following regrading, the six remained in the force and have since risen through the ranks, with some currently serving as Assistant Superintendents of Police. Others were seconded to government institutions such as the Ministry of ICT and Mulago National Referral Hospital, after passing interviews through the Public Service Commission.

Sources familiar with the matter allege that Mugume’s troubles stem from long-standing clashes with senior officers. He reportedly resisted pressure from some police “mafias” to alter birth records in order to extend the service of officers who had reached retirement age. The sources argue that recruitment and regrading decisions have always been collective, not individual, and question why a procedure documented and approved at the time is now being criminalised.

Documents seen by URN indicate that regrading SPCs remains common practice. For instance, an April 1, 2025 internal memo from the Undersecretary of Police shows that 627 SPCs are due for regrading, 513 are above 50 years, and 96 are awaiting salary upgrades. The memo notes that the force risks leaving UGX 11 billion of the 2024/2025 salary budget unspent, and recommends regularisation of SPCs and promotions for lower ranks as a way to absorb the wage bill.

Despite this context, prosecutors maintain that Mugume unlawfully recruited the six women and facilitated their elevation to Inspector rank. He faces charges of abuse of office and is expected back before the Anti-Corruption Court on September 2, 2025, as investigations continue.

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URN