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Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura has today delegated his Deputy Okoth Ochola to appear before the Parliamentary Defense and Internal Affairs Committee.
The IGP was scheduled to appear before the committee together with his counterparts from the Uganda Prisons as well as officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The committee is chaired by Mityana District Woman MP Hon Judith Nabakooba, who previously served under the IGP as the police mouthpiece.
The members were expected to grill Gen Kayihura on police beating supporters of former presidential candidate Col Dr Besigye.
Kayihura sent in a letter informing the committee that other commitments could not let him attend.
He said he today traveled to neighboring Kenya to meet with his counterpart Joseph Boinett, on urgent matters.
Members on the committee asked police representatives before the committee to provide them with proof that indeed the IGP had traveled to Kenya.
One of the MPs Hon Muwanga Kivumbi said it was time for the Parliament to show its might to the police boss.
“We have seen a number of these letters before, it’s until we threatened to invoke our constitutional powers,” he said.
Hon Beatrice Anywar reminded the committee that this was not the first time the Gen Kayihura was declining to present himself before Parliament.
In the heat of the meeting, the Deputy IGP Ochola and his team were asked to leave the room together with the media.
The Committee chairperson Nabakooba tried to entice the members to give Kayihura a benefit of doubt, but was strongly resisted.
Also efforts by UPDF representative Col Felix Kulayigye to ask the committee to carry on with the session with the police representatives fell on deaf ears.
