Only hours after the gruesome murder of former Buyende District Police Commander ASP Muhammad Kirumira, President Museveni has announced a move by government to recruit 24000 Local Defence Unit personnel to beef up security in the greater Kampala area.
Kirumira was shot dead by unknown gunmen near his home in Bulenga along the Kampala – Mityana road.
Addressing the country about the state of affairs, Museveni said the problem of urban crime is becoming big and is worrying many people in the country.
“It is these killings worrying Ugandans more,”Museveni said in reference to the murder of Sheikhs, AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi, Col.Ibrahim Abiriga, Joan Kagezi and ASP Kirumira.
Museveni who sounded incensed said government has been forced to deploy a new method of fighting urban crime apart from the usual methods.
“These idiots (criminals) don’t know the elephants they are fighting with. They have done it repeatedly and I have ordered for mobilisation of 24,000 LDUs. We are also going to recall reserves to man towns,” he noted.
In all these murders of prominent figures, unknown assailants travelling motorcycles shoot at their victims while travelling in vehicles killing them instantly before vanishing in thin air.
The president explained that government will deploy both crime preventers who will be first vetted by their LC1 leaders and reserve force to be recruited into LDUs that man towns and will help fight insecurity and urban crime.
“Kampala has 1000 villages and we shall fill them with man power and our guns will answer these criminals. We shall see which guns have more effect.”
This means that on average, each village in Kampala will have 24 LDU guards.
According to Museveni, if there had been deployment, the assailants who shot dead the maverick Kirumira could have been arrested because they were allegedly followed by ‘angry’ boda boda riders for a certain distance until they vanished in thin air.
He insisted that the police is still using old methods to detect and fight crime but said the new method will help fight crime in urban areas where it has not been easy.
“It is going to cost us more money to a tune of Shs 57bn but will ensure security is tight. It will go on for a year until cameras are installed. This is the NRM way to handle things like we did in the bush.”
He also emphasized the use of modern techniques including CCTV cameras and drones to help fight crime especially in urban centres.
Installation of CCTV cameras in major areas of the city kicked off recently and according to police, a total of 3233 cameras on 1248 sites which is part of the program to install 5552 all over the country.
These will be in major cities, towns and along major highways.
Government is also set to start construction of the National Command Centre at Naguru that will have the finger prints of all Ugandans under the Automated Biometric Information System.
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