The name Kifeesi is trending and has taken over all media platforms in Uganda; it is attributed to the thieves in Kampala though opposition guru Dr Kizza Besigye refers to some police officers as Kifeesi.

However, the origin and organization of notorious group is still not clear to many despite police saying it was one time working with the Kifeesi as ‘informants’.

But today, while addressing the media the Central Police Station District Police Commander (DPC) Superintendent of Police Aaron Baguma said there is no group called Kifeesi in Kampala and that all those who claim to be part of the so called notorious gang are habitual criminals.

“No one can explain the institution of Kifeesi, neither has a given person claimed to be their leader,’’ Baguma said before introducing 210 suspected criminals believed to be Kifeesi.

Baguma added: ‘’ we as police shall continue to arrest all the criminals in the city but all Ugandans should know that the city is still safe and free since there is nothing like Kifeesi as the claim was before’’.

All the suspects were nabbed from the water channel that winds its way through former Kisekka Market down to the railway.

They however, blamed police for carrying out indiscriminate arrests.

Wilson Bituli, who claims to be a hawker operating from Arua Park and ‘a supporter of NRM’, said he was arrested from his workplace.

“My workmates tried to explain to the officers but all in vain as they went ahead and arrested me,” he said adding that he stays in Nansana with his father, Jimmy Nkutu, who was a ‘policeman with three ranks’’’.

Meanwhile, other suspects said despite having their ‘ordinary IDs’ the police never listen to their explanations.

But Baguma reiterated the police stand, saying those above 18 will be produced before court, while the juveniles would be handed over to some organizations for rehabilitation.

For sometime now the crime rates in Kampala and its suburbs has been on the rise, prompting queries from the citizenry.

Meanwhile, one of the relatives of those arrested today was overheard saying that the police had ‘sought the services of the Kifeesi to help in restraining the opposition’.

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Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, has been identified as the man who rammed a truck into a crowd on Thursday, July 14 in Nice, France, killing 84 people and injuring hundreds.

Police managed to take the 31-year old Bouhlel ‘out of action’ with a shot to the head and the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the Bastille Day killings, which follows another recent attack in which up to 130 people were killed.

As a result, the state of emergency announced by France has been extended for another three months, and the July 17 and 18 announced for National Mourning.

Meanwhile, sources in France said that the government has decided to take action, with President Hollande coming out to state that the bombings over Syria will intensify and urging his citizens to stay ‘strong and united’.

French political Journalist Arthur Dute told Eagleonline that he believes the bombing of Syria will not help. He argues that the government should find a way to deal with Syria through its leader Bashar Al Assad as well as closing off all its borders and restricting immigration till further notice as it tries to re-align itself with Syria again.

“I’ve been to Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey and there is no restriction whatsoever on these borderlines…we need to find a way to at least control them,” Mr Dute wrote. He also strongly campaigned against the funding of any form of Islam.

“Unfortunately, all the recent terror attacks have been Islamic related…We must stop following the policy of the US that blows up all countries relations and the government does not want to oppose the Islamic community that uses a lot the stigmatization,” he wrote.

According to Dute, the French government does not want to be dubbed ‘Islamophobic’ which explains the hesitation to declare the recent attack an act of terror carried out on behalf of Islam.

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South Sudanese security forces are deliberately blocking people from leaving the country in violation of their right to freedom of movement, Amnesty International has said.

The organization said it has received reports from two charter companies that National Security Service officers have ordered them not to carry South Sudanese nationals, particularly men.

A non-governmental organization has also reported that their South Sudanese staff was prevented from boarding a flight to Entebbe, Uganda.

“This arbitrary conduct by the South Sudanese security forces is totally unacceptable. South Sudan must respect people’s right to freedom of movement, including the right to leave their own country,” said Elizabeth Deng, Amnesty International’s South Sudan Researcher.

“It is absolutely critical that both parties to the conflict do not obstruct safe passage of civilians fleeing to places of refuge both inside and outside of the country,” she said in a statement.

Juba international airport is packed with security personnel who block men from taking flights to other countries, resulting to detention of many of the passengers who were seen thrown into security vehicles and driven back into town.

Sources said security personnel are only allowing their relatives or friends to board planes.

Thousands of South Sudanese people have reportedly also gathered at the country’s southern border of Nimule, seeking to enter into Uganda, but they are also being prevented from crossing over.

Juba airport was reopened on Tuesday after a ceasefire was announced to end days of fighting between rival armed forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President, Riek Machar, which left hundreds of people dead and thousands displaced.

Charter and evacuation flights have been leaving since the airport reopened, but commercial flights only resumed on Thursday, but freedom of movement to other countries has not yet been eased.

IGAD, the East African regional bloc, had earlier called on the South Sudanese government to reopen the airport to reactivate resumption of flights.

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