The Old Kampala Divisional Police Commander (DPC), Francis Liiga, has been ordered to pay Shs3.5 million in compensation to a journalist whose phone he destroyed during a recent protest in Kampala.
The decision follows a closed-door mediation meeting convened by senior police leadership after the incident sparked outrage from media practitioners and press freedom advocates.
The confrontation occurred on Friday, June 20, when journalists were covering a peaceful protest by Sisterhood Chain, a group of three women who took to Sir Apollo Kaggwa Road to demonstrate against what they described as double standards in the enforcement of online speech laws.
The protesters accused authorities of selectively targeting opposition voices online while ignoring controversial tweets by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
During the protest, officers from Old Kampala Police Division, led by DPC Liiga, violently dispersed both protesters and journalists. According to eyewitnesses, several journalists were arrested, manhandled, and forced under the seats of a police patrol vehicle.
Liiga was seen grabbing and destroying the iPhone 13 Pro Max belonging to Aminah Nalule, a reporter with Galaxy FM and Galaxy TV.
Despite repeated pleas and identification as journalists, Nalule and her colleagues were reportedly treated as protest participants. Efforts to resolve the matter on-site failed, with Liiga allegedly boasting of his immunity from consequences.
“You cant do anything to me, ” he reportedly said.
The matter was later escalated to Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander Richard Echega, who summoned all parties, including Wandegeya DPC Hassan Hiwumbire, and Kampala Metropolitan North Commander Moses Nanoka, to a reconciliation meeting.
In the meeting, Nalule reiterated that she had identified herself and her role during the scuffle.
The Wandegeya DPC defended the arrest, claiming the journalist was recording protesters, but his argument was dismissed by senior commanders who emphasized that mobile phones are standard journalistic tools.
The flamboyant Liiga further claimed Nalule had been moving with the protesters—an allegation disproved by CCTV footage, which showed she remained separate from the demonstrators.
Upon reviewing the evidence, the police leadership concluded that the DPC acted irresponsibly and ordered a personal compensation of Shs3.5 million to cover the cost of the destroyed iPhone.
He was given a deadline of Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to make the payment.
The incident has reignited debate over press freedom, police brutality, and the safety of journalists in Uganda, particularly during politically sensitive events.
