Lack of patrol vehicles hindering enforcement of Covid-19 guidelines in Kitgum

Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Security personnel in Kitgum municipality are struggling to enforce Covid-19 guidelines during curfew hours due to lack of patrol vehicles.

Kitgum Resident District Commissioner William Komakech says two cars used by the police in the district for transporting security personnel and emergency responses have been grounded for nearly one month.

Komakech says the cars belonging to the crimes and operation departments were donated nearly five years ago to police in the district. According to Komakech, the cars had been in bad mechanical condition over the months but notes that ever since they broke down, they haven’t been repaired.

He notes that lack of transport for the security personnel has affected enforcement of Covid-19 guidelines and emergency response to security matters. Komakech cited that a few days ago, security stormed a pub in Kitgum municipality and arrested 31 suspects found dancing and drinking alcohol in disregard of social distancing rules but were unable to transport them for detention.

He says the police have often been using his official vehicle for emergencies, adding that efforts to get a temporary vehicle from Kitgum District Local Government haven’t yielded any fruits.

The district Covid-19 taskforce according to Komakech is considering repairing one of the police vehicles after an assessment conducted shows it requires only 2.5 million shillings.

The Aswa River Region Police Spokesperson David Ongom Mudong says the police leadership in the district should direct the complaints to the relevant police department at the headquarters for a solution.

“These issues of those vehicles are handled at very strategic levels, the DPC is very much aware of the procedures of following up matters regarding vehicles in their area of command. He knows that whenever any vehicle breaks, he knows where to write and take the complaint to,”Mudong said.

Kitgum district has seen a sharp rise in cases of covid-19 transmission in the past week. Statistics from the health department indicate that a total of 20 people tested positive for covid-19 last week and one death case registered at Kitgum General Hospital.

At least eight people have succumbed to covid-19 while 458 tested positive since the outbreak of the contagion in the district in March last year.

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