Inside retired Police officer Omala's threat to life claims

On the morning of Thursday (May 5), retired Police officer Sam Omala addressed a press conference at Centenary Park in Kampala, during which he said his life was at high risk.

He added that if the Inspector General of Police, Martin Okoth Ochola, and the "higher command" do not help him, he was contemplating going into exile.

Sam Omala interacting with journalists.

In the wake of Omala's press address, the Police came out to react.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga blamed the retired Police officer for not helping the Police authorities to follow up on his complaints and instead decided to run to the press.

“I have been informed about his press address and I have called people at CID headquarters, trying to cross-check. I will comment once we establish the file and who is handling and his complaint,” said Enanga when contacted later.

A visibly frustrated Omala, 60, told reporters that he "will choose a country where I will run to and explain to them that I am running out of my country because of corruption that is threatening my life".

He said he had gone through a lot and was ready to meet the end of his life but that he will never sit on the truth. 

He added his father was a World War II veteran, who fought in many countries and returned alive, and taught him to be fierce and never to be intimidated. 

Omala told journalists that he was aware that coming out in the open was a big risk.

In 2018, he stood surety for former Buyende DPC, Muhammad Kirumira, who was later gunned down on August 9. Kirumira had been vocal about alleged corruption within the Police force. 

Omala said he had informed the higher authorities that the so-called bean weevils (kawukuumi) that President Yoweri Museveni talked about are still there in the Police force.

'Sufficient information'

Responding later, Police spokesperson Enanga faulted Omala for not helping them trace his formal complaint and details of the case.

"When you write to the IGP, it does not stop at that. You should write to the Police, stating where the jurisdiction of your complaint was filed, he [Omala] should show the crime reference where the case was reported, case details and Police reference,” said the Police spokesperson.

He added that if suspects were arrested, “we need the names of CID officers he is talking about”. 

“I am taking time to find out from CID if such a complaint existed and follow a lot of things he is talking about, but he does not mention them. He is supposed to get us sufficient information," said Enanga.

Now-retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Omala came into the limelight with his role in silencing Opposition politicians and civil society activists during the walk to work demonstrations in Kampala in 2011.

He particularly monitored former presidential candidate, Dr. Kizza Besigye.

How it all started

More than a decade later, also recording himself, Omala told a press conference at Centenary Park how his troubles started.

He said it all began when Maj. Stephen Henry Okware of the Chieftaincy of Military intelligence (CMI) reportedly rejected a bribe of sh50m offered to them by a suspect.

The suspect had been arrested for allegedly stealing two road equipment machines belonging to a Chinese company known as CJ Smart Cargo, also known as SMC Uganda.

Omala said that suspect was arrested with his accomplice by soldiers from CMI, who recovered the equipment - a bulldozer and excavator, worth millions of shillings that were reportedly destined for Kigali, Rwanda. 

Omala shared videos of their operations with the journalists and details of his communications, including letters he has written to the IGP and other authorities on the matter.

He narrated that the machines were recovered from Kanungu and Gomba, but that they have never been returned to the owner and that the Police released the prime suspect and allegedly lied to court that he [the suspect] was at large.

“But they are using the suspect to try to bribe us and after rejecting their money, they are coming up to fabricate charges against us,” said Omala, who posed for pictures with journalists.

Omala said he had learnt of plans of the CID investigators in the case, whom he pinned for having allegedly instead shared the sh50m they had rejected, for planning to arrest him and charge him over alleged kidnap and torture and forcing the very suspect to sell his car at gunpoint.

“But the man who bought the suspect’s car came and tipped me off about the deal he rejected, and I asked him to give me recorded video as evidence,” Omala said.

The retired Police officer added that the only help he got was from Justice Jane Frances Obodo, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who called him back and asked him to liaise with a Resident State Attorney at Buganda Road Court.

Omala said he frequented the office without help. 

The letter to IGP

In the letter that Omala wrote to the Inspector General of Police, he copied the following people:

- Director of CID

- Assistant director of CMI in charge counter terrorism

- Director of Public Prosecutions

- Inspector General of Government

- Director of State House Anti-Corruption Unit

- Resident State Attorney of Buganda Road Court

- Trial magistrate court number 6, Buganda Road

- Maj. Stephen Henry Okware

- Kevin Zhang of Smart Cargo and SMC Uganda. 

The five-page letter is tilted: 'Conspiracy to defeat justice and interfere with witnesses in ref to General Inquiries File number 952/2021 of CID headquarters, Uganda Versus Kavuma John Boco, Mirimu Ivan and others'.

The letter bears received stamps from the IGG, DPP, Buganda Road Court, and forwarded to CMI, where it was received by Private Wanzala on April 4, 2022, at CID headquarters, and others.

Omala claimed the file was mismanaged at CID headquarters.

“Sir, we are forwarding to you our complaint on the above subject matter, where the two investigating officers have mismanaged a case file GEF 952/2021 of CID headquarters Uganda Vs Kavuma John Bosco and others,” he stated in the letter, which he claimed he has never received a response.

In the letter, Omala states how he sensed foul play and resorted to using CMI soldiers in the investigations and arrests. He also mentions two investigating officers and their supervisor and the departments they are attached to at CID headquarters. 

Omala is now in private practice and is the general manager of Hongman Security Company.

Donning a blue suit at Thursday's press conference, he received phone calls during the address. 

At one point, he got frustrated and threw his phone on the grassy ground.