By Henry MULINDWA
Hajat Mariam Fauzat Wangadya, the chairperson Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has unveiled a hair-raising report showing internal weaknesses within the Uganda Police Force!
In the report she tabled before the deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa, the amiable Wangadya says a recent research by Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) into the operations and welfare of UPF, indicated that many of these cops live in inhumane situations.
For example, she says the cops live in dilapidated structures and worse still, many of them sharing a room.
She described the situation as dire adding that besides staying in condemned structures, the cops use curtains or makeshift boards to partition those filthy rooms, making it difficult for them to respond to God’s command of filling the world.
“Some of them told us that it was hard for them to get children because of these situations. They reside in condemned structures and unipots which are unfit for human habitation” she told the very attentive deputy speaker as she read the Commission’s report entitled ‘Squeezing water out of a stone? Working and living conditions of Uganda Police Force personnel and their implications on observance of human rights’
“The accommodation is dire, comprising shared rooms portioned by either curtains or makeshift boards. Some of them told us that it hard for them to get children because of these conditions,” she said.
So touching the situation is that; even when it comes to community policing, some cops have to share guns. Wangadya adds that cops also use locals to carry accident victims in addition to using ropes as handcuffs and walk with suspects to court.
Wangadya who led a full battalion of her troops including commissioners and technical staff, said that there’s a linkage between the living and working conditions of cops and their ability to observe human rights.
She called for efforts to improve on the wellbeing of cops.
“If we leave them to live under such conditions, there’s no way they will respect others because they are already psychologically biased. We need to find means of how to address this situation” she said.
Other issues the report raised included complaints of unfairness in deployment, transfers and promotion of officers within the police force. It was revealed that some of the cops suggest that such arrangements are done according to technical know who, favouritism and bribery better known as kitu kidogo among cops.
The report also indicated shortage of protective gear and continuous displacement of junior officers from police quarters, forcing them to rent accommodation far from duty their stations among other issues.
Meanwhile, Tayebwa said since the budgetary process for 2024/5 budget is ongoing, some of the issues raised shall be captured. He commended the commission for highlighting the plight of police officers and also it’s efforts to promote rights of all citizens in the country.
He pledged Parliament’s commitment to fast tracking the reform of the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS), adding that the amendment of the Judicature Act that has seen the number of Judges and other judicial officers increase causing a mismatch between the judiciary and the Uganda Police Force.
He said at the time of scrutinizing the reforms, the Commission will be given an opportunity to table it’s recommendations so as to improve the sector.
