Head of police women affairs calls for female promotion to top ranks

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The commander of the policewomen department Rose Nahyuha has asked the force’s top management to promote more women to the highest ranks.

In an interview with Uganda Radio Network, Nahyuha said they have very few women in police’s top ranks, something she says needs to be addressed as one of the ways to empower women to take up leadership and command positions.

Although the total number of female police officers currently stands at 8,128, there are only eight women in the three top ranks of the Uganda Police Force. There is only one woman at the highest rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police –AIGP who is director of Criminal Investigations Grace Akullo.

The second-highest rank of Senior Commissioner of Police has only two female officers, Christine Nanding who is the deputy director of Legal and Human Rights Services and Ann Tusiime, the deputy director of logistics.

The third highest rank of the police force is Commissioner of Police which is currently obtained by only two female police officers. These include Beatrice Chelimo who is attached to Uganda National Roads Authority –UNRA and Hadijjah Namutebi who is the commandant Very Important Persons Protection Unit-VIPPU.

Olivia Wabwire who was holding the rank of CP retired last year while two others, Christine Alalo and Josephine Kakooza have since died. Nahyuha says police failure to conduct promotions has created a desire at all levels.

Nahyuha says women need to be promoted so that they can exhibit their potential in command and leadership. Nahyuha says every day she gets women police officers asking her about promotion but she keeps telling them to wait since it’s a general desire.

Police last held promotions during the reign of former Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura in 2016. IGP Ochola in his first three years as Gen Kayihura’s replacement has not held promotions.

Police Council in October 2019 resolved to resume promotion and the first exercise was to be held in the first quarter of last year but it did not happen. To date, police officers have not received any explanation why promotions have not been held.

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