Justice Remmy Kasule has ordered the government to pay sh100b to former spies under the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) in terminal benefits.
The Court of Appeal judge upheld a 2005 ruling by then trial judge of the High Court Okumu Wengi awarded the about 1000 sh72b, later to be lowered to sh36b after negotiations with sh500,000 each as general damages after government terminated their services and failed to pay them off. They said their employment was terminated contrary to the law and in denial of their terminal and severance packages and as such they had suffered the loss and damage.
Kasule ruled that the MoU cannot vary the orders of court and emphasized that the High court ruling stands.
“The judgment creditors (former spies) must get in full what the judgment has awarded,” Justice Kasule ruled on June 12.
Counsel Robert Kagoro and Fred Muwema who represented the former spies welcomed the ruling of Court of Appeal.
The current director of Internal Security Organisation is Col Frank Bagyenda aka Kaka (pictured above) with the secretive spy agency having been established by the 1987 Security Organistions Act.
Alongside the External Security Organisation, their core functions are to receive and process internal and external intelligence data on Uganda’s security and advise/recommend to the President or on his instructions, any other authority, proactive security action plan. However, the state runs counter-Intelligen ce operations to evaluate the veracity of intelligence received from designated organs. Uganda has other under-cover security outfits, including the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, that also gather tailored intelligence.
