A long-running marital and property dispute has emerged at the centre of the controversy surrounding the arrest of Kasangati police officer Corporal Fatina Mukolerwa, after police said the woman she arrested was involved in a dispute over her marital home.
Mukolerwa, attached to the Child and Family Protection Unit at Kasangati Police Station, was arrested on September 12, 2026, after posting a video accusing senior Kampala Metropolitan Police commanders of interfering with the arrest and subsequent release of Sylvia Arinaitwe.
Mukolerwa alleged that Arinaitwe had resisted arrest and bitten her during the operation, forcing her to start post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). She further claimed that Arinaitwe was released on police bond after contacting a senior officer.
Police, however, have disputed the account, saying Arinaitwe’s release was linked to circumstances surrounding her children and a wider domestic dispute.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire, officers established that two children, reportedly including a seven-year-old, had been left unattended at Arinaitwe’s home during the arrest.
Police also said Arinaitwe told investigators that her husband, who is the complainant in the domestic violence case, was using the criminal proceedings to remove her and the children from their marital home and sell the property.
The development places the dispute over the home at the centre of the case, raising questions about whether the criminal complaint was occurring alongside a broader marital and property conflict.
The case reportedly dates back to 2023 and was registered at Kasangati Police Station under CRB 70/2024. Arinaitwe’s husband, identified in police accounts as Frank, is the complainant.
Mukolerwa said she was assigned to arrest Arinaitwe after seeking guidance from the State Attorney. She alleged that the suspect violently resisted arrest and later threatened that she had influential connections that would secure her release.
Mukolerwa subsequently accused Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander ACP Ezekiel Ebapu Emitu of ordering Arinaitwe’s release after the suspect allegedly contacted a brigadier.
Police have denied that the release was irregular.
Owoyesigyire said Arinaitwe was released on police bond after officers considered the circumstances surrounding the children and her account that she was facing eviction from the family home.
The circumstances of the arrest itself are also disputed.
A local council official who witnessed the incident told Agora Discourse that Arinaitwe and her husband, a UPDF officer, have been involved in a marital dispute for more than seven years.
The official said the dispute had previously been handled through the LC1, police, Bombo Barracks and court before Mukolerwa arrived with three other officers to arrest Arinaitwe.
According to the witness, Mukolerwa presented an arrest warrant and entered the house alone while the other officers remained outside. The witness said a confrontation followed, during which the police officer was assaulted.
A second community source who witnessed events at the Family and Children Protection Unit said Arinaitwe also assaulted the officer in charge of the unit before she was restrained and taken to the cells. The source said Arinaitwe was later granted police bond that night.
Mukolerwa, however, remained in custody following her arrest over what police described as scandalous and unprofessional conduct.
Police said the officer should have raised her concerns through established administrative channels rather than making allegations against her commanders on social media.
The Monitor reported that Owoyesigyire described Mukolerwa’s conduct in the viral video as inappropriate and unprofessional.
But the competing accounts leave the central issues in the dispute unresolved: whether the arrest of Arinaitwe was properly executed, whether the decision to release her was influenced by senior officers, and how the alleged domestic and property dispute shaped the police action.
The Observer reported that Mukolerwa had said the arrest was authorised following guidance from the State Attorney and that she was investigating the domestic violence complaint filed by Arinaitwe’s husband.
Police have said investigations into both the circumstances surrounding Arinaitwe’s arrest and Mukolerwa’s conduct are ongoing.
