Public prosecutors face eviction from police camps

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 08:26:31 +0000

By JUSTINA MULENGA

OVER 400 public prosecutors across the country have been left in the cold after they were given an ultimatum to vacate their houses in police camps following their transition from the security wing to the National Prosecutions Authority (NPA).

Some of the affected prosecutors who spoke to the Daily Nation on condition of anonymity yesterday said they had received eviction letters allegedly signed by the deputy Inspector General of police, Eugene Sibote, adding that some of them were allegedly being victimised by officers in charge.

One of the officers said it was not fair that the police command did not give them enough time to look for alternative accommodation even when it was aware that they had not yet been given their dues and wondered how it expected them to look for accommodation at such short notice and without money.

He said the law required that a notice of eviction should be given within a period of three months to allow them find alternative housing.

He alleged that the provision was purposefully abrogated by the police command with alleged disregard of their plight as though they were not civil servants.

He charged that the police command treated the matter with urgency yet they knew about the realignment exercise which he said was not abruptly and haphazardly done but waited for this long before making wholesale decisions which affected them.

“By law, we are supposed to be given three months’ notices so that we can prepare but that was not done. Further, we worked for the Police Service but we have not been given our dues. How then does the police expect us to find accommodation?

He also demanded that the deputy inspector general should give the prosecutors the three months’ notice of eviction and pay their dues.

“We are being harassed by the police after the eviction which has put us under pressure because we have nowhere else to go for now, we demand that they give us the three months’ notice as the law says,” he complained.

Another public prosecutor added that he had nowhere to go after being evicted.  “Right now, I am coming from compound to compound looking for a house for rent, my work is deeply affected.”

And an effort to contact the deputy inspector General proved futile as his mobile phone went unanswered.