The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Abbas Byakagaba, has appointed Commissioner of Police James Kusemererwa as the new head of the Land Protection Police Unit. Assistant Commissioner of Police Musani Sabila will serve as his deputy.
This leadership change follows a significant restructuring that shifts the Land Protection Unit from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID) to the Directorate of Human Rights and Legal Services.
According to a police statement released on Monday, the reorganization is intended to bolster the unit’s capacity to handle the complex legal, operational, and criminal dimensions of land-related conflicts.
“Most land disputes involve overlapping civil and criminal issues requiring specialized handling,” the statement reads. “This restructuring aims to enhance the unit’s ability to address these multifaceted challenges more effectively.”
The move comes a year after the suspension of the unit’s former head, Assistant Commissioner of Police Johnson Olal, who faced accusations of mishandling an investigation into a controversial land dispute allegedly involving relatives of high-profile individuals in Ruhama, Ntungamo District.