Unknown thugs have broken into the law firm of lawyer Evans Ochieng known as Ochieng Associated advocates and solicitors located in Kimera in Ntinda a Kampala City Suburb vandalizing property and stealing a yet to be known number of case files.
According to one of the managing Partners Norah Norris Ichom, the entire law firm this Monday is paralysed and they have not proceeded with the cases for their clients they expected to handle today because of the break in which has seen seven of their laptops, files , a Monitor and Television stolen.
Ichom said that their staff who was the first to report to office on Monday morning Lawyer Jordan Paul Asodio and Ronald Mutasa have already filed a case of theft with Police at Ntinda Police Station. The case is registered under reference number 10/04/12/2023.
Ichom said that the premises didn’t have CCTV cameras and that they last had a security guard about two weeks ago before he was relieved of his duties.
The Deputy Police Spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Area Luke Owoyesigyire has also confirmed the break-in saying that they would be releasing a statement later on in the day.
Doors of the law firm have been seen shuttered and glass windows broken before disorganizing and scattering some of the documents that were not taken by the thugs inside the chambers.
In the meantime, although the lawyers say that several physical files have been stolen and they can’t identify them, they were quickly able to establish that the file of Kampala District Land Board Chairperson Lawyer David Balondemu who was granted bail in absentia last week following his admission in Luzira prison health facility is among those missing.
The lawyers have now told Uganda Radio Network that right now they are reorganizing themselves so as to be able to continue with their legal duties.
Ochieng Associated Advocates and solicitors the law firm headed by Evans Ochieng a close associate of Lawyer Caleb Alaka is known for representing high profile murder suspects whose cases are mostly feared by other lawyers.
They have represented clients such as Mathew Kanyamunyu who was found guilty of manslaughter following the death of children’s activist Akena, the proprietor of Pine Car Bond Muhammad Ssebuwufu who was found guilty of murdering businesswoman Betty Donah Katusabe , the suspected Allied Democratic Forces Commander Jamil Mukulu and the suspected Lord’s Resistance Army-LRA Commander Thomas Kwoyelo who are still on remand on war crimes and Rwenzururu Kingdom leader Charles Wesley Mumbere who was recently granted Amnesty from terrorism related charges.
They are also known for having represented the accused persons involved in the case of 2010 bombing in which more than 70 people were killed in Lugogo and Kabalagala as they watched the World Cup Finals, among other suspected criminals.
Cases of office break-ins are not uncommon in Kampala City. In March 2021, thugs broke into Chapter Four Uganda, a non for Profit Organization headed by lawyer Nicholas Opiyo and went away with computers.
In 2016, the thugs broke into the Wandegeya office of lawyer Muhammad Mbabazi and went away with the documents involved in Amama Mbabazi ‘s presidential election petition, laptops and computers.
In the same year , three Non Governmental Organizations including the Forum for African Women Educationalists FAWE were broked into and most recently in October 2023, the offices of Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda -FMU were equally not spared .
The thugs not target NGO offices but also government offices as in 2020, KCCA offices were broken into twice.
Efforts by police to come up with conclusive investigations as to who breaks into these offices have so far been futile.
URN.