Aswa region police which covers the Acholi districts has said it is investigating circumstances under which a prison inmate was photographed riding a police motorcycle in Kitgum district.
Last week the photo of inmate Babylon Anywar, a convicted thief who is almost completing his 5-year-jail term went viral online. In the photo Anywar is riding a police motorcycle registration number UP 4232.
The attention the photo got online put the police and prison under pressure to explain how an inmate convicted for theft could ride a police motorcycle. It is not clear as to who took the picture.
In a press conference last week, Jimmy Patrick Okema, the Aswa Region Police Spokesperson revealed that police has opened an inquiry into how Anywar accessed the police motorcycle.
The inquiry, according to Okema, was opened with the Police Professional Standard Unit (PSU) under reference number PSU/ Aswa/GEF/ 47/2017.
The police spokesman however said that a convict who is due for release is often given more freedom to interact with the community. He explained that this is one way of integrating prisoners back into the community.
When contacted Commissioner of Prisons (CP) Allan Okello said Anywar is a mechanic who has helped the prisons to repair their motorcycles.