COMMENT: Right to reappoint Kayihura

Police boss’s reappointment and approval was inevitable based on his successes

By David Serumaga

Last week, President Yoweri Museveni reappointed Gen. Kale Kayihura as the Inspector General of Police. He has finally been approved by parliament.

However, it seems some leaders had not noticed Kayihura’s achievements and had vowed block during the approval process. Their focus was more on his failures, not knowing that his successes outweigh them.

Kayihura should be congratulated on being given another three-year contract as the police chief amidst such challenges from the opposition. I believe that there have been some security issues which have not gone well but he has not failed in everything from the time he joined police force in 2006.

When he had just joined Uganda Police Force, it had only 14000 officers.

Currently during Kayihura’s term, the force has 44,000 officers who have increased the presence of police to the people. This proves that 30,000 officers have been recruited in UPF to keep law and order as well as saving them from the unemployment cycle that is afflicting our country.

The Uganda Police Force (UPF) as successfully addressed the security situation in the country and kept us generally safe and secure despite a few incidents that continue to occur.

Kahiyura has continuously worked with other sister security organisations like Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Internal Security Organisation (ISO), External Security Organisations (ES0) and Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) to curb all criminal activities and security threats including terrorism, civil disobedience, cybercrimes, armed criminal violence as well as common crime and protecting people and their properties.

Under the wise leadership of President Yoweri Museveni and Kayihura, the Uganda Police Force has embraced community policing which has the police working with communities to embrace Neighborhood Watch Schemes. It also works with crime preventers and local leaders such as LC1, to ensure peace and security in neighborhoods.

This has increased police’s physical presence in all communities hence reducing crime rates. Community Policing is a new philosophy of policing, based on the concept that Police Officers and private citizens working together in creative ways can help solve contemporary community problems related to crime, fear of crime, social, physical disorder and neighborhood decay.

It is during Kayihura’s time that UPF has constructed its own headquarters hence saving the force from renting.  The government is now saving approximately Shs15 billion annually in rent and operational costs that was spent on renting police headquarters. The construction of this integrated headquarters has enabled police to use money which was for renting to establish better offices in upcountry locations. Unlike the past when police personnel used to sleep in unipots (mwana yingiya ndani), Gen. Kayihura has resorted on modernising police’s accommodation. This was done through originating the Exodus Police Saving and Credit Cooperative which has grown its savings to more than Shs5 billion. This growth, Kayihura once said, could see his men and women, now holed up in unipots, retire to modern housing facilities.

The UPF had 6,284 housing units (863 offices and 5,421 residential units) in 2009 and have since added 502 residential units, 41 stations and posts, 31 Child reception centers, 3 Training Schools (Kabalye, Olilim, Yumbe), Forensic Laboratory, Police Headquarters (CIID Wing), 1,697 Police uniports constructed, 1 canine center/clinic at Nagalama.

Since January 2013, the following additional achievements have been made: Movement of Police Headquarters to the New CIID Headquarters, Completion of various Police Stations i.e. Moroto, Amuria, Pader, Maracha, Awach, Mukono, Tororo, Butalejja, Kiira, Kaabong, Kotido, Luwero, Nakapiripirit and completion of various Residential accommodation blocks i.e. Maracha, Awach, Kibuku, Kotido, Moroto, Kabale, Rukungiri, Kyenjojo, Kabalye among other infrastructures completed while others are ongoing.

On terrorism, UPF under Kale Kayihura has registered success, with the support of other security agencies including Kenya Police they have arrested, hundreds of people like Jamil Mukulu, Dominic Ongwen and other suspects who terrorised Muslims, Kasese residents, and killed AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi among others. However, other suspected terrorists remain on the loose and police is hunting them.

From the time Kayihura entered office; he has provided high quality protective and occupation equipment to the police. These include firefighting equipment like fire tenders, water bowsers, ladder fire trucks, and rescue and fire boats. These have reduced fire incidences from all the corners of the country. Others equipment include helicopters, anti-riot materials and sniffer dogs that detect the latest non-conventional bombs hence curbing terrorism in Uganda. In order to reduce the increased road accident caused by drunk drivers, Kayihura introduced breathalysers (Kawunyemu) which has helped UPF to arrest and detect those who drink and drive.

On the administration side, in 2006, UPF had only four Directorates to run the affairs of the force, this has improved greatly. The force now has 20 directorates, namely; Human Resources Management/Administration, Operations, Crime investigations and Intelligence, Interpol and International Relations, Logistics and Engineering, Welfare and Production, Counter Terrorism, Research, Planning and Development, Oil and Gas, Political Commissariat, Information Communication and Technology,  Health Services, Traffic and Road Safety, Fire Prevention and Rescue Services, Human Rights and Legal Services, Parliamentary Affairs, Kampala Metropolitan, Special Duties, Field Force Police and Forensic services.  With the creation of new directorates, the force is now able to provide services better to the public. Congratulation Gen. Kayihura.

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David Serumaga is President, Buganda Youth Wing

serumagadavid916@gmail.com