The police in Kampala have detained Mr. Stanley Kisambira, a driver for the Judiciary, in order to look into the claims he has made in audio recordings.
Mr. Luke Owoyesigyire, the Deputy Spokesperson for the Kampala Metropolitan Police, said on Tuesday that a general inquiry file had been opened on Monday evening at the Central Police Station to look into Kisambira’s claims that he could cause an accident while the principal was inside.
“I am a driver. I can ram into a stationery trailer, killing all occupants, including the judge and bodyguard,” he says in the audio.
Owoyesigyire asserts, without naming the judge, that Kisambira is the judge’s driver at the Mbale High Court.
In the recordings, Kisambira can be heard voicing his displeasure with his income of Shs200,000 since he began working in the legal system in 2008.
An earlier statement from the Judiciary addressed Kisambira’s recording. They heard him out, and they clarified the situation for him.
“While the approved salary for drivers may be inadequate, the Judiciary leadership resolved that the allowances for all non-judicial staff (including drivers) in the institution be enhanced in line with CSI No.6 of 2018 on duty facilitating allowance” read the statement from Jamson Karemani, the Judiciary Spokesperson.
The Judiciary reaffirmed that the payments do not include duty enabling allowances or operating expenditures.
Management has stated that all employees, regardless of salary, are eligible to receive health insurance coverage.
Kisambira has been praised online for having courage by revealing the poor pay of members of the judiciary’s rank and file.
According to information obtained by this reporter, a fundraising effort has been launched to help Kisambira pay for attorney fees and welfare.
The campaign asks for financial backing, highlighting Kisambira’s role as a whistleblower who revealed the exploitation of judiciary drivers making only Shs200,000. It says on the flier, “Kisambira is ready to be punished or sacked but won’t be silenced.”
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, some anonymous individuals have suggested that the Judiciary raise Kisambira’s salary instead of turning him over to the police.