On the eve of 2016 Christmas, police unveiled a gift to Ugandans, and this was the introduction of a tricycle brigade. These tricycles could carry three police officers and two of them would be armed.
“The Inspector General of Police(Gen.Kale Kayihura) is launching the motorcycle brigade. They are out tonight to ensure you have a safe holiday,” Police tweeted.
A photo of then Kampala Metropolitan Area Police commander, Frank Mwesigwa sitting in one of them circulated allover social media as others showing a fleet of the new cycles were also circulated.
Called the side car, the machines were a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter or bicycle, producing a three-wheeled automobile.
They were supposed to increase patrols in the city.
The then Kampala Metropolitan Area police spokesperson, Emilian Kayima defended them as being purchased to boost security through quick response in case of any incident.
He also noted that they were cheaper to maintain than the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series that police uses as patrol cars.
“They(patrol cars) consume more fuel and unable to reach some areas,” Kayima argued adding that they would save police fuel.
The new tricycles were to be deployed in different parts of Kampala and its surrounding; like the Northern bypass, Muyenga, Kabalagala, Jinja Road, Entebbe road, Kajjansi, Kawuku, and Nakawa.
Public Questions
Meanwhile, the same day police launched the tricycles, a number of questions were asked by the public in regards their usage.
Many argued that the tricycles could not beat traffic jam which is a common occurrence in Kampala and this rendered them not useful.
“Seriously stop wasting tax payers’ money on useless acquisitions, it reminds of the movie Bye Bye Vietnam,” one person posted on twitter.
However, police insisted the new catch was the silver bullet to fighting crime in the city.
“We are boosting security. Patrols are vital in our day to day policing,” Kampala Metropolitan Police responded.
Fast forward, three years down the road, the tricycles are nowhere to be seen on the road.
Not even one has been seen doing patrols in Kampala Metropolitan Area as had been envisaged by the previous police management.
According to a police source, a number of them have been grounded at the Namanve police mechanical workshop for a number of months.
“They are rotting at the police workshop in Namanve. These tricycles have never been put to use. You can’t know why they were imported,” the police source told this website.
He said not more than five of them are currently operational noting that at most two are currently parked at the entrance to the Police headquarters at Naguru.
However, when contacted, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the new police administration has a mega plan for the tricycles.
He said that just like they did to reintroduce the 999 patrol system, the Police fleet management department is looking at doing the same for the tricycles and motorcycles for the force.
"There has been wastage of resources but in the re-organisation, we shall be able to number them and get to know where each motorcycle or tricycle operates for easy identification and also to avoid overlapping their boundaries," Enanga told the Nile Post.
He also noted that the police fleet management department is also set to take all riders for the motorcycles and tricycles for a refresher course that will help them avoid their abuse and recklessness.
"It is a more organised arrangement that we undertake to avoid any mistakes."
