President Yoweri Museveni has directed the Inspector General of Police, John Martins Okoth Ochola to publish a manual that will guide law enforcement officers including police officers and Local Defence Unit personnel on how to use guns.
In a communication to the IGP Museveni directed that the manual should be published and made available to security personnel not later than October,15, 2020 to guide on the proper use of firearms and how to engage with rioters under the Public Order Management Act.
The President s directives come at a time when the police and other security forces are preparing for the 2021 generation which many Ugandans fear might turn bloody following the violence registered in the NRM primaries.
About the indiscriminate shooting Museveni highlighted the two incidents in Bugiri and Katakwi during the NRM primaries in which several people were injured noting that these indicated that both police and LDU personnel are not well trained in the with use of guns.
“In Katakwi, civilians were fighting among themselves during the elections. Why shoot them? Why not scare them by shooting in the air or simply arresting them. It was said that in Bugiri, some members of the public stoned the armed personnel. That was bad. However, shooting to kill should not have been the first option. They should have identified the stone thrower and arrested him for prosecution,” Museveni noted .
Befeore using force , President Museveni explained that there should be a proclamation by using handheld micro-phones to warn the civilians to disperse.” Inform them of your intention to use forceful means. Use non- lethal means like tear gas. Using shields, fire live bullets in the air,” Museveni said.
“Each police post must have a copy of these procedures and all the police personnel and LDUs attached to policing areas individually must be conversant to the last letter of these procedures.”
