1,429 arrested for defying ban on inter-district movement

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 1,429 people spent the weekend in various police cells across the country on accusation of defying the ban on inter-district movement.

President Yoweri Museveni on June 6, announced a ban on inter-district movement of all private and public vehicles including motorcycles. The ban started being effected on Friday last week after a four days’ period that had been given to enable boarding students to travel back to their respective homes.

Museveni said there should be no movement from one district to another except for people living and working in Kampala Metropolitan which covers Kampala City, Wakiso and Mukono districts as well as essential workers like medical personnel.

Commissioner of Police Fred Enanga has said a number of people acted ignorant about the restrictions on cross district movements and they continued defying the directive. In order to enforce the order, Enanga said police and sister agencies had to arrest drivers, riders and pedestrians.

Security said most cases of people flouting the ban on cross district movements have been registered in Lugazi, Mukono, Njeru, Jinja, Masaka, Kyotera, Ibanda and Mbarara. Joint security personnel mounted roadblocks at Jinja Nile bridge, Nsangi, Bujuuko and Buloba.

Enanga said some taxi drivers were arrested ferrying passengers from one district border to another. The boda boda riders could wait for people walking past a border point and ferry them to another district border point.

“We as security we have tightened the enforcement of SOPs,” Enanga said. “We are strict on Ugandans defying SOPs. After the ban on inter-district movements, some of our taxis could drive passengers up to border. Others walk from one point to another and find vehicles or boda-boda to ferry them to another place.”

Apart of the 1,429 people in cells, security also impounded 376 cars both public and private. In addition, 3,655 motorcycles were impounded for carrying passengers and disobeying curfew hours. Last year’s curfew of 6pm and 9pm on motorcycles and cars respectively in a bid to prevent spread of Covid19 is still in force.

Away from people arrested carrying passengers and violating curfew, security has vowed to continue with operations against people merrymaking in bars and holding house parties. At the weekend, members of Uganda Golf Course were arrested boozing at Gold Course Hotel along Yusuf Lule road.

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