The challenges faced by the police in eliminating mob justice in Kampala: 2005 - 2007

Abstract

The research examined the challenges faced by the Police in eliminating Mob justice in Kampala between 2005 and 2007. This is the period a new constitution was promulgated but acts of mob justice by the public in the quest to ensure that justice prevails increased and this was viewed as a vote of no confidence in existing law enforcement mechanisms to sufficiently deal with criminal suspects.

The research objectives which guided the study were; to examine the challenges faced by the Police in eliminating mob justice in Kampala, to find out the causes of mob justice in Kampala, and to suggest remedial measures to mob justice in Kampala.

The research was based on research carried out within the Uganda Police Force, local council leaders, community members and selected human rights defenders. Press reports, internet sources and other working documents greatly added value to the study. The dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter one introduces the subject matter under study, provides the research problem, research objectives, description of concepts, justification, and the theoretical framework. The second chapter looks at the various categories of mob justice, the interplay between mob justice and access to justice, the human rights violated through the practice of mob justice and the causes of mob justice. Chapter three focuses on Research methodology. It looks at the research design, selection procedures, data processing and data analysis. Chapter four analyses the occurrence of mob justice, brings to light the perpetrators of mob justice, the causes of mob justice in Kampala, and analyses the challenges faced by the Police in eliminating mob justice in Kampala. The key conclusions and observations are revealed in chapter five. The challenges faced by the Police in eliminating mob justice in Kampala include; poor crime and operational information management, poor resource management, inadequate manpower, inadequate funding, inadequate logistics, poor remuneration, inadequate knowledge on human rights and inadequate analysis and publication of criminal statistics.