The Role Of Uganda Police In, Promotion Of The Right To Life In Uganda From 1995 To 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ...................................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL ...................... : ..................................................................................................... ii

DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................ iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................. viii

ABSTRACT ........................................................... : ................................................................ ix

CHAPTER ONE ..................................................................................................................... I

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ , .......... I

1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... I

1.1 Background of the Study .................................................................................................... I

1.2 Statement of the problem .................................................................................................... 3

1.3 Purpose of the study ............................................................................................................ 3

1.3.1 Objectives of the study ..................................................................................................... 3

1.3.2 General objectives ............................................................................................................ 3

1.4 Research questions ............................... .' .......... " .................................................................. 4

1.5 Scope of the study ............................................................................................................... 4

1.6 Hypothesis ................................................................................................................ : .......... 4

I. 7 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................... 4

CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................... 6

LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... .< •••••••••••••• 6

2.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 6

2.1 Historical involvement of the police force in the violation of the right to life ................... 6

v

CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................................. 14

ANALYSIS OF RELEVANT LEGAL PROVISIONS ON PROTECTION OF RIGHT

TO LIFE ................................................... : ............. , .............................................................. 14

3.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 14

3.1 Domestic Legislation ........................................................................... : ................... : ........ 14

3.2 Applicable International Human Rights Instruments ....................................................... 17

3.2.1 UN basic principles on the use of force and fiream1s by law enforcement officers ...... 19

3.2.2 The Rome Statute of the intemational.criminal comt (ICC) ......................................... 20

3.2.3 The African Chmter on Peoples and Right LIFE (ACPHR) ........................................... 21

3.2.4 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) .................................................... : .... 21

CHAPTER FOUR. ................................................................................................................ 25

UNDERLYING FACTORS FACILITATING RIGHT TO LIFE VIOLATIONS IN

UGANDA ............................................................................................................................... 25

4.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 25

4.1 Sidelining of the Uganda Police Force ............................................................................. 25

4.2 Disregard for the rule of law ............................................................................................. 28

4.3 Lack of political will ............................................................................................ : ............ 29

4.4 Negative political interests ................................................................................................ 29

4.5 Ambiguity in the law ····························.-··········································································· 30

4.6 Documented Right to Life Violations ............................................................................... 30

CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................................. 35

RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................... 35

5.1 Uganda Police Force .............................. , .......................................................................... 35

vi

5.1.1 Judicimy ............................................................................................ : ................... , ........ 36

5.1.2 The Parliament ............................................................................................................... 36

5.1.3 The executive I govemment in general.. ........................................................................ 36

5.1.4 To the Uganda Human Rights Commission .................................................................. 39

5.2 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 39

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................. 41

ABSTRACT

The Uganda Police Force is a semi-autonomous institution established in the 1995

Constitution as a principal agency in Uganda charged with the responsibility for promotion

and protection of People's rights. However over the days it has been one of the violators of

one of the most fundamental 1ights especially the right to life. The research sh1dy aimed at

analyzing the role of the police force in promotion of the right to life and also how .it has

perpetrated the same. The research also reviews concepts of different literature from

scholarly text to philosophical and jurispmdential analysis. This piece of work also looks at

the relevant legal framework for the protection of the right to life. The study among others

also found out that since 1995 to 2018 the right to life was always one of the most violated

by the Uganda Police Force. However a number of measures can ·be put in place to

harmonize right to life perpetration in Uganda including vicmious punislnnent for

perpetrators.