On November 10, 2014, General Kayihura’s contract as the Inspector General of Police was bound to expire having served in the same capacity from 2005 after replacing Gen.Katumba Wamala.
While seeking an extension of his tenure as police boss, Gen. Kayihura in his eight-page letter of July 17,2014, pleaded with Parliament that he still needed the police job in order to advance his journey of transforming a modern, professional, service oriented, pro-people and effective institution of government, the Uganda Police Force.
Many citizens then were convinced that he was to build the capacity of police as per the letter. Little did we know that we were brushing the teeth of a lion to swallow us in the due course? Mr. Kayihura thanks. We are seeing what you promised us. Indeed your pro-people force has been recorded on TV with long sticks caressing citizens’ backs and heads for waving to Dr. Kizza Besigye.
What has happened to police during his term of office? Turning Uganda police from a civilian law enforcement agency into a highly militarized atrocious force with the aim of controlling grey area between crime and politics. This same argument was advanced by Herbert Rheno Karugaba a retired senior assistant Commissioner of Police.
We have indeed through our freedom of expression become criminals. What crime does a woman selling mangoes along Najjanankumbi who coincidentally waves at Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye have?
On Friday March 21, 2014, it is you Gen. Kayihura who while speaking at the passing out of Counter Terrorism Officers at Olilim said you would not rest until police acquired capabilities to fight terrorism.
Shall we keep our excitement buried in our hearts? Shan’t we raise our eyebrows? Oh cry my beloved country. I am all tears. Gen. Kayihura why?
I can appreciate indeed that your police has gained skills exhibited by your men who were clobbering people cheering president Besigye’s release. Congratulations to your achievement.
But why are you against us? Why do you fight us? Are we not citizens of this country? How much shares do you have in Uganda? Do you have a body like we do? Do you feel like we do? Please save us your Kifesi/police.
Did you know that the citizens you are hitting, torturing, clobbering and killing are the ones who sustain you from the taxes they pay?
Uganda loses billions of money on chasing Dr. Kizza Besigye alone. In the 2012/13 financial year, Uganda police spent Shs48 billion on specialized machinery, motor vehicles, and other equipment where Shs30.8billion went into mobile police patrols and Shs9.3billion into fuel and lubricants.
Just imagine during the aftermath of the 2011 general elections, police fuel bill hit Shs20billion mark and overall Shs150billion was spent on efforts and machinery related to querying riots. Towards the February 18, 2016 general elections, you purchased armored vehicles to threaten Ugandans on their own money. You continue to use them against us but we shall overcome some day.
How will you convince us that these huge expenditures into the anti-riot material and use the constant use of brutal force against patriotic citizens from the opposition won’t make us conclude your force is more interested in hunting down Museveni’s opponents than criminals?
Why do you use our fellow brothers and sisters to hit on us? You recruited many of them as crime preventers but instead they have turned into crime promoters. How can you explain the non-uniformed armed men and women who clobber down citizens like this? Why do you do this to us Kayihura?
We decry your partisan use of our brothers and sisters in police force to justify your criminal dealings. Can you leave Besigye alone and concentrate on protecting Ugandan citizens? Most of those officers you use live in dilapidated police quarters built in the 1950s, frustrated with low remunerations with poor meals etc. Is this what you promised your men in uniform?
Why should Uganda police be given funds and huge budgets when it just concentrates on serving the interests of Mr. Museveni? Instead of concentrating on advising your boss Museveni on workable solutions to serve the nation like creating employment opportunities to help absorb the huge unemployed numbers of youth in the country, you are spending time running, torturing and clobbering Dr. Kizza Besigye and his supporters. Mr. Kayihura isn’t this chasing wind?
As a Ugandan, iron lady I can’t keep quiet when the aliens masked in Uganda Police Uniforms are attacking citizens like you do. #StopUGPoliceViolence
We shall overcome, For God and my Country.
Nyanjura Doreen
LCV Woman Councilor Makerere University
