1,000 police officers risk deletion from payroll

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 1,000 police officers from the ranks of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to Special Police Constable (SPC) risk being deleted from the Police Force’s payroll system after missing out on the manpower audit.

An internal police message dated April 24, 2019, from Police Human Resource Management (HRM) to, Inspector General of Police, Deputy IGP, Police Directors and All Unit commanders, indicate over 10,000 police personnel have pending queries but 1,042 missed last year’s manpower audit.

The fate of 1,042 police officers who include 8 Superintendents (SPs), 30 Assistant Superintendents (ASPs), 10 Inspectors of Police (IPs) and 40 Assistant Inspectors (AIPs) would be sealed by end of next week should they not report to Police Headquarters at Naguru with genuine reasons on why they were not counted.

Titled Human Resource Management 144/225/01 Manpower Audit, Unit commanders have been ordered to refer their juniors to police headquarters not later than May 2 to explain where they were during the headcount.

“The under listed personnel under your units missed headcount that was conducted in June 2018. You are hereby required to match them to police headquarters HRM manpower audit and give exclamation about their whereabouts on the day of headcount. Whoever will not be matched as instructed will be presumed to be AWOL [Absent Without Leave] and will be deleted from payroll,” reads the internal message to all police unit commanders.

IGP Martin Okoth Ochola ordered for police manpower audit in June last year after it was reported that more than 3,500 police officers had deserted the force between 2015 and 2018.

Former Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, in his handover speech said he had left a police force that had increased from 14,000 at the time he took over in 2005 to 44,600 in March 2018.

Late last year, media reported that manpower audit had revealed that Gen Kayihura’s figures were less by 8,000 policemen a claim that was not denied nor confirmed by police authorities.

Field Force Unit (FFU) has the biggest number of police officers listed for removal from payroll at 385, Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) 72, Directorate of Logistics and Engineering 44, Kira Road Police Station 41, Very Important Protection Unit (VIPPU) 38, Tourism Police 18, Jinja Road Police Station 17 and Kira Division Police headquarters has 14.

The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) has 13 detectives whose whereabouts are unknown, Human Resource Administration (HRD) 10, Counterterrorism 12, Aviation Police 9, Crime Intelligence 9, Flying Squad 7, Presidential Protection Guard (PPG) 5, Interpol Police 5 and Music Dance and Drama 4.

Mbale tops upcountry districts at 16, Tororo 11, Jinja Central 11, Kamuli 11, Mayuge 10, Namayingo 10, Abim 10, Masaka 9, Rakai 8, Iganga, Bukedia and Kaabong all have 7 police officers pending removal from payroll.

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