House to Summon Police over Closure of Posts.
MPs Protest the Move, Claim It Will Worsen Criminality.
The Parliament’s Committee of Defense and Internal Affairs has vowed to summon Police leadership over the move to close police posts following recent attacks on Police posts.
Members of Parliament are uncomfortable with the decision saying it’s going to worsen the level of criminality in the country and it has to be overturned.
Following the recent attacks on Police Posts in areas of Luweero, Mityana, Kiboga, and Wakiso, the Inspector General of Police Martin Okoth Ochola ordered for implementation of the 2019 Presidential Directive to concentrate police officers at the sub-county level by closing police posts to order to minimize attacks on police officers at isolated at Police Posts.
However, the move has been castigated by members of Parliament saying it’s going to exacerbate criminality in the country.
Lawmakers believe it’s a mistake for police to run away from its mandate of keeping law and order by abandoning citizens who have been getting protection from the police posts being closed.
Koboko North MP Noah Musa says its important resources are provided to the police so that they can able to recruit enough manpower to manage all police posts around the country adding that one of the reasons why the police have been attacked is because of limited manpower so thugs find it very easy to attack if your only 2 or 1 at a post-Hon Noah notes.
“My view is that as Parliament, as Executive they should consider funding the police well, we need to allocate more funds,’ this is happening at the time when we are planning for the next financial year which means this should be a priority, we expect the Minister of internal affairs to raise it at the Executive level when it comes to parliament we will be able to support because it’s not good to close police posts Hon Musa said.
Obongi county Member of Parliament Dr. George Boka says the closing of the police posts comes at a time when they are most needed.
“For example just about a month ago in Obongi town council, we had ten shops that were broken into by thieves and this happened because the police were not consequently present, so closing these police posts will give opportunities for thieves to do whatever they want to with impunity a decision government must review,’ Dr. Boka said.
Mityana south MP Richard Lumu Kizito said that he has written to the speaker to have this matter discussed deeply by parliament so that the closed police posts are reinstated quickly.
The Vice Chairperson of the Parliament’s Committee of Defense and Internal Affairs Milton Muwuma faulted the police for taking this tough action without consulting the committee that supervises police. He believes police should call for the support of the army instead of abandoning police posts.
In this regard, the committee is going to summon the leadership of the Uganda Police Force to discuss the move and ensure that it’s rescinded.
Some Legislators expressed concerns that police is not evenly distributed, with government giving its priority on protecting VIPs at a cost of other Ugandans.
