Police to set up station at ex-IGP Oryema’s estate

“To have a functional police station at the location, you should provide manpower of about six police officers. You should, therefore, liaise with the RPC Aswa and have this police station operationalised.” Mr Ochom wrote.  

Speaking to Daily Monitor on Saturday during a visit to the land with other senior police officers from Aswa River Region police headquarters, Ms Damalie Nachuha, the regional commander, said they were directed to immediately establish a police facility in the area and deploy personnel to operate it.

“The IGP [Martin Okoth Ochola] approved the establishment of a police station here and has directed that it be put in place quickly,” Ms Nachuha said.

She added: “My coming here is to see the location where exactly it will have to be placed, the construction will start anytime.”  
Although she declined to disclose the details of why the police top leadership made the directive, Ms Nachuha noted that the decision followed an assessment of the area.

“Mostly it is the dangers of the high crime rate, high population, among others and also to get closer to the community because the nearest police post here sits more than 17km away and the communities face a lot of problems in travelling long distances to report matters,” she said.

Mr David Ojok, the Tangi Village chairperson, praised the development saying it will save them from criminals and land grabbers.

“The rate of criminal activity in this area is worrying, for example, last month we arrested a thug who was working at one of the farms and it was later discovered that he escaped from Gulu Prison while serving a murder sentence,” Mr Ojok said.

He added: “Once they are put here, the police should work together with the game wardens and the community to fight poaching around this area, the poachers are usually aggressive to community members whom they fear would report them and sometimes they also kill.”

But a police officer attached to Nwoya Central Police Station, who declined to be named since he is junior in rank, said the establishment of the station was compelled by the heavy burden of poaching and land grabbing in the area.

“For the meantime, there is the big issue of poaching. Because the next police station at Purongo Town Council headquarters is very far, it becomes hard for the local people to engage these hunters even if somebody is armed with a bow, they cannot manage it,” he said.

He stated that putting the police station at the estate of late IGP Oryema was justified by the presence of one of the key routes situated on the estate that is used by the poachers to access Murchison National Game Park and kill wild animals.

Background
Need for police station
Since 2018, the community has been advocating for the establishment of a police station in the area to help fight poaching and land grabbing, according to documents this newspaper saw.

In a July 31, 2019 letter written on behalf of the community by Ms Nancy Oryema, a relative of the late Oryema, and addressed to the IGP’s office, the community demanded a Tourism Police unit.

“It is also better to work with the Tourism Police to secure this area given the fact that the 6,400 acres of our land borders Murchison Falls National Park,” the letter read in part.

They argued that the area was destined to be developed for tourism and agro-tourism activities.

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