If numbers prepared by security personnel for this week’s presidential elections are partly true, then voters should have no worry as their security is perhaps guaranteed.
It reported that police force which is the lead agency in security elections and it sister security agencies have organized a 140000 force to ensure that no disruptions are recorded in hotly contested presidential election.
Although it is a combination of all security agencies, Uganda police force has contributed the biggest number of personnel. Police, according to Inspector General of Police, Martin Ochola, will have all its close to 47000 officers involved in ensuring that no security threats are registered during or after the elections cycle.
In addition, police have provided 50,000 Special Polling Constables -SPCs who will be deployed at all the 34,344 polling centres to guide the electorate. Each polling centre will have one SPC armed with a baton while polling centres in hotspots will have two SPCs.
Ochola in his statement shared on police website said the joint plan to secure this year’s elections started two years ago and they now have all it takes to deliver peaceful elections. “We started this journey of securing the 2021 Elections, two years back, when we created the Inter Agency Security Master Plan working group. It comprised of the Police, UPDF, Prisons Services, JIC etc. This Task Team came up with a Security Master Plan, which met the highest standards of election security, integrity and preparedness,” Ochola said.
The overall police chief add that the Security Master Plan has a very robust structure that is integrated with the Electoral Commission, other stakeholders and rolled out to all the District Task Forces.
“This also indicates the shared commitment that the joint security agencies have with other stakeholders to ensure all Ugandans, vote in a free and fair manner. I do reiterate that we shall deliver a peaceful election to all Ugandans and visitors to our country,” Ochola adds.
With the 47000 policemen and women as well 50000 SPCs, police have contributed 97,000 personnel for the elections period. Uganda People’s Defence Forces- UPDF have contributed the Local Defence Units –LDUs and soldiers who will work along with police and Uganda Prisons Services.
UDPF First Division commanded by Maj Gen Samuel Kawagga superintends 2,4000 LDUs of which over 6,000 are deployed in Kampala metropolitan that covers Kampala City, Wakiso and Mukono districts.
Early this week, a security source intimated to Uganda Radio Network –URN that UPDF has also prepared 13000 soldiers to directly take part in security elections. When contacted, Brig Flavia Byekwaso, who speaks for UPDF, she declined to divulge numbers saying it would jeopardize security plans. However, Brig Byekwaso said enough UPDF personnel had been deployed to work with police to secure elections.
It also reported that 8000 Uganda Prisons officers will also join police in providing peace at polling stations while unspecified number of intelligence teams will also be doing covert work.
Ochola indicates that Uganda has no specific threats at this stage, targeting the elections, but the preparation is intended to address gaps that happened during the November 18 and 19 riots which left 54 people killed and scores nursing bullet wounds.
“We have since addressed the security gaps, about what happened during the violent riots and demonstrations. And now have a multilayered security response of patrol groups on foot, motor cycles and patrol vehicles. We have practiced active drills on several scenarios including violent riots, radical youth groups, cyber harassment, clashes between rival groups,” Ochola said.
Ugandans will cast votes for president and Members of Parliament on Thursday next week. The Electoral Commission indicates that there over 17.6 million voters for this year’s election exercise. The 140,000 or more security personnel mean that every 126 voters will have a policeman, a soldier, an LDU or an SPC guarding them.
Security chiefs while addressing the media two days ago, assured Ugandans that the voting exercise will be peaceful. The security gurus included Adolf Mwesige the minister for Defence, Gen Jeje Odongo the minister for Internal Affairs, Dr Johnson Byabasaija the Commissioner General of Uganda Prisons Services, Maj Gen Sam Kavuma the deputy commander UPDF Land forces, Maj Gen Paul Lokech the deputy IGP and Martin Ochola the IGP.