By Witness Radio team
A police report on the cause of the fire that engulfed the Hoima High Court and resulted in the destruction of numerous court files is not yet out, 82 days after the fire incident.
According to witness Radio sources, on the 21st of October, 2023, a fire gutted the Hoima Chief Magistrates Court premises in Hoima City. Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire, which started at around 6 a.m. from within the court registry, destroyed several court files.
The Hoima High Court, which houses the Hoima Chief Magistrate Court, is a neighbor to Albertine regional police headquarters in Hoima City.
According to sources, investigations have neither concluded their inquiry nor provided any updates to the public regarding their findings.
Witness Radio’s efforts to obtain an update on the progress of the investigation into the incident hit a roadblock as the Albertine police spokesperson Mr. Julius Hakiza, was unreachable by press time.
But the Judiciary spokesperson Mr. Eremye James Mawanda in an interview with Witness Radio Uganda disclosed that the Police authorities have not yet furnished them with a report concerning the cause of the fire incident at Hoima Court.
According to Mawanda, when the incident happened on October 21st, 2023, judiciary requested the police to initiate investigations on the same.
“We are eager to understand the cause of the fire that burnt files at the Hoima High Court. It will help us to understand the volume of the files affected by the fire. Also, the report will inform us what went wrong and who did not do their part since the place had guards. And many mistakes will be corrected at the end.” He added.
Furthermore, Mawanda emphasized that once the police provide the Judiciary with the report, they will promptly inform the public of the findings regarding the incident.
