Deputy IGP Sabiiti to chair Police promotion committee

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  | The Police Council has appointed Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Muzeyi Sabiiti, to chair a committee scrutinizing police officers that will be promoted in the forthcoming promotional exercise.

Chief Political Commissar –CPC Asan Kasingye, said Sabiiti will lead the committee to ensure that eligible and experienced officers are promoted and appointed to fill gaps in police’s command structure.

Though Kasingye did not reveal other members on the committee, he confirmed that he too has been selected to be a member and the process of assessing police officers deserving promotion and appoint has already started.

Kasingye said there is need to appoint officers to fill existing gaps in police command structure but also to promote officers who have been on same ranks for years and those that are in positions that deserve certain ranks.

Police last held promotions in January 2016 where 496 police officers were elevated to various ranks in an exercise that was marred by bribery and sectarianism allegations with some people petitioning Inspectorate of Government to investigate.

Since his appointment to Inspector General of Police –IGP nearly two years ago, Martin Okoth Ochola, has not conducted any promotional exercise. The promotions expected to take place in January 2020, will be his first but he faces a huge challenge since there are over 5000 senior police officers ranking from the ranks of Assistant Superintendent of Police –ASP and Commissioner of Police –CP waiting to be promoted.

Kasingye said after the scrutiny, police will conduct a massive promotional exercise though he says it will also be in consideration of available financial budget since each promotion means increase in monthly enumerations and offices.

Police council on Monday resolved that all District or Division commanders should be promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police –SP while Regional Police Commanders – who are currently at the rank or Senior Superintendent of Police –SSP or SP should be promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police –ACP.

The last promotional exercise show five officers promoted to Assistant Inspector General of Police –AIGP, 19 were elevated to Senior Commissioner of Police –SCP, 13 to CP, 30 to ACP, 52 to SSP and 65 to SP.

After the committee comes up with a list of officers eligible for promotion, it is then handed over to the President who assess and signs on the list as confirmation or write to selection committee if he has queries.

Police promotional committee contains members from senior category ranks that start with ASP to AIGP but the director of human resource development and director human resource management are members by virtue of their titles.

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