By our reporter
KAMPALA- The Police Disciplinary Tribunal has acquitted Constable Benon Matsiko, the driver who knocked down Rtd. Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye’s supporter at Kyebando in July last year.
Mr Dennis Odongpiny, the Court chairman, told the police prosecutor Ms. Katherine Kusemererwa, that she had failed to produce enough evidence against the accused.
“This court has examined the evidence produced by the prosecutor against Constable Matsiko who is accused of knocking a civilian. We have found the evidence lacking and he is acquitted of the charges,” Mr Odongpiny read the judgment.
Mr Matsiko was arrested on August 22, 2016 after a video of a police vehicle deliberately knocking down a civilian standing by the roadside went viral on social media. After his arrest, now fallen police spokesperson, Aigp Andrew Felix Kaweesi, told the media that the suspect had consistently denied being in the vehicle captured hitting a civilian.
Through his trial, Mr Matsiko insisted that he was not the one who was driving the police vehicle caught in the act. Mr Matsiko at the time of the incident was attached to Kira Road Police Station. During his defense submissions he accused his seniors of sacrificing him to save their colleagues.
Ms. Kusemererwa said she was not going to appeal over the court decision since they failed to trace Mr Matsiko in the vehicle that knocked the civilian.
“We tried to apply all the possible technology to spot him in the vehicle but we failed. The person who shot the video seemed to have been very far. That’s why we could not really identify the occupants in the vehicle,” Ms Kusemererwa said.
Mr Matsiko who was versing the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, was facing among other charges discreditable conduct that tarnished the image of the Force. He was first detained for 60 days with trial and was arraigned before police court after the media reported about his detention for more than 48hours stipulated in the constitution.
Our calls to Dr.Besigye on his known cell phone for a comment went unanswered by the time of this report.
