Babu Owino demands compliance of court ruling banning police face masks during protests

In a post on his official X account, the legislator expressed grave concern over the continued defiance of the court order by law enforcement officers.

The MP emphasised that this practice "not only undermines public trust but directly contravenes the clear ruling of the Constitutional Court delivered by Justice Bahati Mwamuye."

"As a legislator deeply committed to constitutionalism and the rule of law, I am gravely concerned by the continued practice of police officers wearing face masks while on official duty during public demonstrations," Babu stated.

In his ruling, Justice Bahati Mwamuye found that the wearing of face coverings by law enforcement officers while engaging citizens, particularly during protests, is unconstitutional as it violates the rights to accountability, transparency, and the identification of state agents during the exercise of coercive power.

The High Court judge specifically directed that police officers must not "in any way hide or obscure their face to render them difficult to identify or unidentifiable."

Babu Owino expressed frustration at the continued non-compliance despite the judicial pronouncement, stating: "It is unacceptable that despite this judicial pronouncement, certain elements within the police service continue to disregard the law with impunity."

The legislator further called upon the Inspector General of Police to issue an immediate directive enforcing full compliance with the court ruling.

“No officer should engage the public in anonymity, especially while wielding force in the name of the state,” he declared.

"As a nation, we must not slide back into a culture of faceless repression," he added while warning against reverting to past practices.

"The law is clear, and it must be obeyed by all, especially by those entrusted to enforce it."