As the world marks international women’s day, it is prudent to extol the Uganda police for empowering female officers to occupy the force’s highest positions and ranks. Almost at every level, there are female police officers who are heads of units, commanders, or deputy directors. Below are the four female police officers holding the force’s first and second highest ranks and their current titles.
AIGP Grace Akullo
She holds the highest rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police -AIGP which is the highest in the police force. Many confuse the Inspector General of Police -IGP and Deputy IGP are the highest but they forget that those are presidential appointments. Even a civilian can be appointed to serve as IGP or deputy IGP.
Therefore, AIGP is the highest rank of the Uganda police force and Akullo is currently possessing it. She serves as director National Central Bureau commonly known as Interpol- Uganda.
Before being appointed director of Interpol in February last year, AIGP Akullo served for 12 years as director Criminal Investigations Directorate -CID and holds the record as the longest-serving director in that in that position.
AIGP Akullo is a person Ugandans love to hate for her distinguished service at CID where she handled the country’s most challenging crimes ranging from corruption, murders, robberies, assassinations, and kidnaps.
During AIGP Akullo’s tenure at CID, a number of government bigwigs including ministers, and permanent secretaries tasted jail over corruption. Ever since she was posted at Interpol, cries of people who were exorbitantly being charged to get Certificates of Good Conduct, are almost zero.
SCP Hadijah Namutebi
Senior Commissioner of Police -SCP Hadijah Namutebi, is currently the director Political Commissariat in the Uganda police force. She replaced AIGP Asan Kasingye in September last year.
Before being appointed to her current position, she served as commandant of the Very Important Persons Police Protection Unit (VIPPU). Namutebi joined the force as Constable recruit even though she had completed her university education at Makerere where she attained a degree in Education.
Namutebi last year told the press that when the police announced vacancies in 2002, she rushed to join but had no idea of the recruits they wanted. She learned that they needed S6 graduates after reaching the recruitment center.
Since she was determined to serve in the force, she accepted and afterward served as Constable for nearly five years. In 2007, she went back to Kabalye Police Training School -PTS for the Cadet course. Since then she has been rising through the ranks. Her rank of SCP is the second highest in the police force.
SCP Christine Nanding
Nanding also holds the second-highest rank in the police force. She is currently the deputy director of legal and if things go well, she is likely to be one of the female police officers going to attain the rank of AIGP this year.
One of SCP Nanding’s intake mates is the former police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner of Police -ACP Emilian Kayima. She was promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police -CP in 2014 and two years later she earned the second-highest rank which she still holds.
Nanding, according to her colleagues exhibited unique skills in investigations even when they were still at Kabalye PTS in Masindi District. She has been serving in investigations departments, the political commissariat, and now the legal directorate.
SCP Anne Tusiime
She also holds the second-highest rank and currently serves as deputy director of logistics. Like Nanding, Tusiime is also expected to be promoted to the rank of AIGP this year since there is only one female police officer at the topmost rank.
All these titles being possessed by women in the police force exhibits determination to fight the question of gender imbalance. Every year, police increase the number of females joining. There are a number of female police officers at the rank of Commissioner of Police and some of these include Sarah Kibwika and Esther Akwango.
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