CPS puts in place blast walls after suicide bomb incident

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Kampala Central Police Station (CPS) has introduced blast walls in response to the November 16, suicide bombing that left one policeman dead and 23 others injured.

The blast walls, made of sacks filled with soil and sand, have been placed at the entrance to the quarter guard, where most of the severely injured police officers were attached. Other blast walls have been placed behind the perimeter wall on George Street opposite the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

An army green shade has been placed on each of the explosion guards. The blast guard at the entrance has been put where a metallic kiosk that served as a checkroom was. The dark blue kiosk that was being used by about five police officers checking and registering people seeking to access the police station was reduced to pieces by the bomb blast.

All civilians regardless of their title or status are ordered to walk through an automated metal detector that has been placed incident the blast wall.

Armed police officers have been maintained on Buganda road where a yellow ribbon has been placed on one side of the road at a distance of about 500 metres. The inquisitive police officers in Khaki uniform do not allow any vehicle, motorcycle or pedestrian to stop within the radius they are manning.

Access has been restricted to the parking behind the CPS’ main block which houses three restaurants often frequented by civilians operating shops around Buganda road, and visitors to police and Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court. One has to first answer very many questions in order to access the eateries.

The parking area has partly been occupied with three huge army green tents since the station now has military personnel residing in the premises. CPS that was always crowded with impounded vehicles and motorcycles is now in an open space. All cars involved in accidents are immediately taken to the Inspectorate of Vehicles (IOV) opposite Nakawa Vocational Institute along the Nakawa-Ntinda road.

Nevertheless, the window glasses that were shuttered by shrapnel are yet to be fixed. A policeman told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that police officers in offices whose windows were destroyed by fragments have been advised to use their own money to replace them but keep expenditure receipts as they will be refunded in the nearby future.

“Some of these officers can’t sit in their offices once it rains. It is only the key offices like the records room that have been fixed with new glasses,” a policeman told URN.

Even though CPS’ security has been tightened, the situation is quite different at other major police stations like Wandegeya, Old Kampala, Kawempe and Katwe. For instance, Old Kampala is congested with cars and hundreds of motorcycles in the compound. Because of the impounded motorcycles, the station is occupied by many youths picking their motorcycles.

But policemen and women thoroughly check all persons before accessing the station premises. At Wandegeya, a yellow ribbon has been put at the entrance where people are questioned on what kind of services they are seeking before being let in.

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URN