President Museveni has appointed seasoned Counter Terrorism Commander, Abbas Byakagaba ,the new Inspector General of Police. He will be deputized by AIGP, James Ochaya. Byakagaba , a career police officer , previously served at the Police’s Regional Special Branch commander in western Uganda at the peak of the ADF war 1996- 2000.
Ochaya who has been serving as director for research and planning will replace Maj Gen Tumusiime Katsigazi whose term ended and has been recalled to the UPDF for redeployment.
Senior Commissioner, Hadijah Namutebi is the new director for research , planning and development, a position previously held by AIGP Ochaya while Senior Commissioner of Police, Moses Kafeero has been appointed as the new Human Resources Director to replace Brig Godfrey Golooba who returns to the UPDF.
Museveni has returned Senior Commissioner of Police (SCP) Frank Mwesigwa to the powerful police command position of director operations service (OPS) since his actions during the 2020 presidential campaigns which left 54 people killed.
Mwesigwa, who was promoted to his current rank in 2022, commanded operations that led to the arrest of National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, on November 18, 2020, at a campaign rally in Luuka district in Busoga.
Mwesigwa after the 2020 incident has been in the quiet position of deputy director of Counter-Terrorism (CT) police, an elite unit that rarely engages in civilian-related activities save for terror-related tasks, guarding elite persons and key government installations. But Mwesigwa’s appointment as OPS director is likely to make him appear more often in the public compared to where he has been since 2020.
He replaces AIGP John Nuwagira who has been sent to the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU). Mwesigwa previously served as commander of Kampala Metropolitan and it was during his tenure that several prominent Muslim Sheikhs and senior security officers like AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi and Maj Muhammad Kiggundu were assassinated. This made many criticize him that he was perhaps not in charge of the city’s security.
Museveni has named AIGP Fadhir Kaali as the new director of fire and rescue services replacing retired AIGP Joseph Mugisa.
SCP Charles Kataratambi has been appointed director of legal services replacing retired AIGP Erasmus Twarahukwa. SCP Hadijah Namutebi has been moved from chief political commissariat (CPC) and appointed director of welfare and production replacing retired AIGP Charles Birungi.
Brig Gen Godfrey Golooba, who has been serving as director director of human resource development has been returned to the army and replaced with SCP Moses Kafeero.
Kafeero has been the commander of the Bwebajja police command and Staff College. Golooba was moved into the police force in 2019 alongside Brig Gen Chris Damulira who is the director of crime intelligence, Brig Jesse Kamunanwire the director of human resource management, and Maj Gen Jack Bakasumba as the chief of joint staff.
Museveni took back Bakasumba into the army and he is currently serving as army chief of joint staff while Maj Gen Abel Kandiho was appointed to replace him.
However, Museveni according to security sources has indicated that the position of chief of joint staff is not necessary for the police force and he is planning to scrap it even though he is the one who created it in 2019.
Other appointments include that of SCP David Waiswa who was assigned to head the directorate of counter-terrorism. He replaces Byakagaba who has become the new Inspector General Of Police(IGP), and SCP Ubaldo Bamunoba has been appointed as the new chief political commissariat (CPC) replacing SCP Namutebi.
