The outgoing Kampala Metropolitan police boss Haruna Isabirye has advised his successor Benjamin Namanya, to selectively assign guards to Kampala’s rich men.
According to Mr Isabirye, most of the rich are scared of terrorism.
But that is a weak argument that should not be allowed to gain currency because the consequences of swarming individuals with police protection units have a negative impact of the performance of the force on the ground.
The provision of security in Uganda is a function of the government, supposed to benefit all the people living inside the country.
And fortunately, over the years the police in Uganda has improved on its community policing skills and this is what all Ugandans should support instead of just looking on as the rich seek to cushion themselves at the expense of other less-privileged Ugandan citizens.
To be honest, the rich in Uganda are not as vulnerable as the poor; they live in secured neighborhoods, have perimeter wall fences and are capable of hiring private security guards to watch over their premises.
So, which is the best way forward to equitably protect both the rich and poor?
One, the police must enhance crime detection and prevention measures so that the criminals are ‘nipped in the bud’ before they unleash terror on the citizens.
And one of the ways of attaining this is the revival of night foot patrols carried out by local council officials, the police and vigilantes.
Two, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) should endeavor to light all the streets, so that criminals find it difficult to find hiding places, from which they pounce on unsuspecting people and rob or even kill them.