It is no longer a surprise but almost an accepted norm to wake-up and find someone in the neigbourhood has been murdered.
Also, all newspapers, radio, television and social media are awash with news, pictures of people killed in the cold elsewhere.
To those that have been around for some time, it isn’t shocking but reminds them that this could be a reoccurrence of unfortunate events that took place in the early 1980s after the disputed 1980 elections.
Those events of yesteryears are more or less like what is happening in the country now. But unlike in the 1980s, where the elites were the target, today it is the women. However, could there be a similarity in these killings?
The above question can only be answered by people above the age of 50 and the historians.
So, as Ugandans rue over their past and current situation, the pertinent issue of the day is who will save them from these serial killers?
Those supposed to protect people and their property seem to be lost for answers and this is evident in the varying statements being made by security agencies including the police, the lead agency in keeping law and order.
President Yoweri Museveni is quoted as having said that in the past not much attention was paid to urban crime.
“We made a slight mistake; it wasn’t really our making but we were preoccupied for many years with fighting (Joseph) Kony and armed Karamajong. We invested all our energy on this rural terrorism, and didn’t pay much attention to the urban areas,” the President was quoted as saying, adding: “We will pay attention to our cities to ensure that there are CCTV cameras to monitor the criminal and other equipment to help trace them.”
However, the new wave of crime seems to be organized and smart and fighting it might require tactics that are different from fighting Kony.
For starters, there is need to create employment for some of the idle youth that are lured into crime because of having no income.
Indeed, the President should ensure that one of his cardinal achievements under his 31 year rule is security, but if not properly addressed, the deteriorating security situation in the country could render that achievement null.
