President Museveni Furious as Police Chiefs Retire a Top Forensic Expert Dramani Ezati and Other Skilled Senior Police Commanders.

   File Photo 4-Feb-2016.

The Police has remained tight-lipped over the questionable retirement of Senior Commissioner of Police Samuel Ezati Dramani, a top forensic expert in the country.

Some senior officers that New Vision asked to explain the circumstances surrounding Ezati’s retirement have described the matter as “sensitive”, opting not to comment at the moment.

However, Ezati’s family members and close confidants told New Vision Wednesday (June 23) that the retired officer, who had been a forensic examiner since 1996, was ready to serve, and was currently waiting for President Yoweri Museveni’s call so as to return for duty.

New techniques 

On Monday, during the swearing in of ministers, Museveni, who was giving an update on the investigations surrounding the attempted assassination of works and transport minister Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, said new techniques were being explored to identify people who shot at Wamala, injuring him and killing his daughter and driver, but a key expert needed to create an identikit of the assailants, had been retired from the Police.

“We will get them using different techniques. Some people saw them, not at the crime scene but later because they changed clothes. I have instructed Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Paul Lokech to ensure that Police gets the description of those people,” Museveni said, expressing his disappointment at Police chiefs for retiring those highly skilled in the technique.

 “The people who knew how to do it were retired and not replaced. I want to know who retired that person without replacement. That person will not stay in the Police,” he warned.

Close confidants from Zombo, his home district and West Nile, told New Vision that Ezati had applied for a renewal of his contract when he clocked 60 years last year, but got no answer from the leadership of the Police.

Ezati was formally laid off last year in February. He was among the 278 senior and junior Police officers on a list for retirement drafted by the police’s head of human resource management, Col. Jesse Kamunanwire.

Handwriting expert.

Other senior officers on the retirement list were the chairman of the Police court tribunal, Dennis Odongpiny and commissioners of police Benjamin Namanya, Hillary Odoch, Wilson Ahimbisibwe, Fabian Amadia and Paul Tumuhimbise.

According to peers and junior officers he trained, Ezati is not only good at building identikits, but he is also the most experienced handwriting experts in Uganda and East African region.

“The President has always recommended that there be room for experts to get contracts despite reaching the mandatory retirement age.  Experts should be allowed to develop more experts. Ezati was acting director of forensic services. He did so for four years, and he was not confirmed or formalised. They instead retired him at the level of senior commissioner of Police,” a top cop, who worked with Ezati, told New Vision.

Ezati also used to lecture at the Police Training School in Kabalye on the subject of fraud investigations, document examination and the role of handwriting experts.

Ezati Dramani fact file.

1959: Born to Dramani Mutsela and Esther Ombaru at Araka Paduba parish, Zombo district.

1966-1972: Went to Ezoo Primary School Kango.

1972-1976:  St. Joseph’s College Ombachi (O’level).

1977-1978: Kabalega Senior Secondary School (A’level).

1979-1982: Studied at Makerere University for a Bachelor of Arts degree.

1987-1988: Undertook studies leading to a postgraduate diploma in education.

1987: Joined the Police force.

1989-1990: He served in Moyo as officer in charge of the Police station.

1990-1991: Transferred to Adjumani district.

1992- 1993: Transferred to Nebbi as district Police commander (DPC).

1993: Taken to Kiboga district as officer in charge of the Police station.

1994 - 1996: Served as Kotido Police chief.

1996: Joined the forensic department following the completion of a course in forensics in the United Kingdom.

Source; #New_Vision.

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