Early this week, President Yoweri Museveni, appointed the immediate past commander of Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) Maj Gen Abel Kandiho as the new police Chief of Joint Staff (CJS) replacing Maj Gen Jack Bakasumba.
The position of CJS was introduced in police force by Museveni in 2019 and Maj Gen Bakasumba who has been transferred to South Sudan is the maiden holder of the portfolio that is now regard as the third in hierarchy.
But this position has stirred arguments at police headquarters as the many senior police officers are questioning settings under which the office bearer operates yet the portfolio is not recognized in police structure.
Sources at Naguru police headquarter say the Inspector General of Police, Martin Ochola, was also puzzled when Maj Gen Bakasumba was assigned in 2019 as first Chief of Joint Staff. It is reported that during the police’s Police Advisory Committee (PAC), Ochola informed other directors that he had decided that Maj Gen Bakasumba handles all the vital procurement processes of the police.
“The IGP was confused on which duties to hand to Gen Bakasumba. He decided to handing him all major procurement processes. It was resolved in PAC that every directorate, department and unit must first submit their procurement proposals and budgets to Chief of Joint Staff for scrutiny,” a senior police officer said.
The position of Chief of Joint Staff in police force is equivalent to that of Joint Chief of Staff in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). However, the roles of UPDF’s Joint Chief of Staff are clearly explain in Army structures.
For instance, UPDF’s Joint Chief of Staff is responsible for among other things control and administration of the Defence Forces, coordinating all functions of the UPDF General headquarter branches, maintenance of disciplinary standards of the force, planning for force development and implementing policies as laid down by Army High Command.
But what is causing confusion at police headquarters is that all the roles streamlined in UPDF as belonging to Joint Chief of Staff, in police they are being executed by various directors who are Assistant Inspector Generals of Police (AIGP).
“It is just confusion here, we have the director logistics, director research, director human resource development, director human resource management, director welfare and production and director political commissar in whose docket disciplinary matters fall,” a senior police source said.
It is alleged that ever since IGP Ochola directed that all procurement process be scrutinised by Chief of Joint Staff, it has caused competition from other senior police officers and backstabbing as everyone has to buy favors.
“There is a senior commissioner whose hotel was always being used for police trainings and conferences but he has since lost that favour and is now very bitter. Directors used to make their own budgets and they get debated in PAC. But nowadays it one person to be convinced. It is annoying to see adults now competing like children buying favours,” a senior police officer added.
As of today, Brig Gen Jesse Kamunanwire is director human resource management, Brig Gen Godfrey Golooba is director human resource development, chief police commissar who also handle disciplinary tribunals is AIGP Asan Kasingye, director welfare and production is AIGP Andrew Sorowen, director logistics is SCP Richard Edyegu and SCP James Ocaya is the director research, planning and development.