Speaking at the release of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) report last week, an official of the commission lamented that some of the perpetrators of human rights abuses were not aware that they were breaking the law, something that promoted impunity. A lot of the time rights abuses have been committed by the very people expected to prevent them. Last year, for instance, at 346, the police came top of the table of complaints registered with UHRC.

But while many people may be accused of being ignorant, it would be a more disconcerting shame if the police officers responsible for these complaints pleaded ignorance of the law they are supposed to enforce. The greater possibility is that often the police know what should be done but they choose to do the opposite in order to serve other interests, ironically, usually disguised as public interest.

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