Court in Iganga has ordered Stella Nankunda, the CID for Namutumba Police Station to pay shs40 million in compensation to two process servers for illegally detaining them.
Michael Kaluusi and Richard Mwesigwa dragged the CID chief to court for illegally detaining them when they went to police to report a case of assault against on Sulaina Logose who had beaten them when they were to effect service to her.
At police, Logose connived with Nankunda to have the duo detained for five hours with threats and insults to them.
The process servers told court that CID officer hurled insults at the duo including assuring them how she was at liberty to keep them at the station for “ whatever duration , determine what time we were to leave and open up whatever charges she wished.”
Iganga Chief Magisrate, Daniel Epobu Kiboko ruled that the actions of Nankunda deprived the duo of their liberty.
“The respondent’s act of confining/detaining the applicants yet they were practicing their profession was uncalled for. The Applicants did identify themselves to the respondent as court process servers but all this fell on deaf ears of the respondent. Even if the respondent had doubts over the identity of the applicants, she would have verified the same through the various electronic means from the entity that the applicants stated were their employers, other than confining them,” the chief magistrate said.
The magistrate ruled that detaining the two process servers denied them a chance to execute their work.
Court directed that the Namutumba CID officer pays shs40 million to the duo in compensation for infringing on their right to practice their profession.
According to court, the shs40 million will attract an interest of 10% from the date of the ruling.
The CID officer was however ordered to make a written public apology to the two process servers within 30 days of the ruling.
