RDC, police commanders disagree on marijuana exhibit

Luweero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  |  Luweero Resident District Commissioner, Phoebe Namulindwa has disagreed with Police Commanders over handling marijuana exhibits. It follows the arrest of Christopher Nyombi and Tonny Segawa, both residents of Mawale village in Makulubita Sub County last week and subsequent detention at Luweeri Police Station. They were charged with staging unlawful assembly and assaulting police officers and transferred to Kampala. However, the Luweero Resident District Commissioner, Phoebe Namulindwa, says the suspects were picked with a sack of marijuana that was exhibited at Luweero Central Police station.

Namulindwa says that since police hasn’t opened a case of possessing drugs against the suspects, the marijuana should be burnt to prevent it from falling into wrong hands. She has since directed the Luweero District Police Commander, Ahmed Musakana and the Savannah Regional Police Commander, Caroline Akoth to publically destroy the marijuana.

The two police commanders have rejected the directive to destroy the marijuana. Akoth says although they didn’t bring charges against the suspects in regard to the marijuana, they need to follow the laid down procedures to destroy it. She says it is too early to burn the drugs before the suspects are tried for the cases brought against them, arguing that they can still charge them in regards to the marijuana.

Akoth says the marijuana will be burnt in accordance with the laid down procedure and consultation with the Anti- Narcotics Department. In 2013, the then Luweero District Police Commander, Godfrey Ninsiima admitted that the force had lost the battle against marijuana in the district. Ninsiima said as a result, crime associated with marijuana smoking had also escalated. 

Years later, marijuana smoking is still rampant. Luweero ranks top among districts involved in marijuana growing in Central Region of Uganda. According to the 2018 Annual Police Crime Report, 2,890 Narcotic cases were reported in 2018 compared to 2,854 in 2017 reflecting a 1.3% increase across the country. 3,590 suspects were arrested and charged in court, out of whom, 3,350 were male adults, 144 female adults, 82 male juveniles and 14 female juveniles.

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