China Town Super Store owners tasked to hire Counter Terrorism officers before re-opening

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The joint Security Agencies have tasked the owners of China Town Super Store to hire Counter Terrorism officers from the Uganda Police Force-UPF before re-opening. It came after the newly opened China Town Super Store in Lugogo, which had attracted thousands of shoppers throughout the weekend was temporarily closed on Monday evening owing to the terror threat in the country.

A joint security team comprising the Uganda Police Force and Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) intervened to temporarily close the mega-store due to the prevailing terror threats. One officer was seen urging hundreds of shoppers to vacate the premises. “Please leave now; we have a terror threat,” the officer announced using a megaphone. At that time, the Lugogo mall was crowded, with hardly any parking space available.

Akim Gweru, a private security guard at the shop, reported that the massive number of shoppers overwhelmed him and his team, with some individuals using the opportunity to steal items. “We had a problem with controlling the crowds. We recorded complaints that some people who flocked the store were thugs who made off with some stolen items, which was also a significant concern for the store owners,” Gweru said.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango explained that the closure was necessitated by the overwhelming number of people at the store, which created a security gap.

“The private security guards deployed were overwhelmed. The store had over 3,000 people, but only one entry and exit. We temporarily closed the place to avoid a stampede in case of an emergency,” Onyango said. During a meeting held between security officials and the China Town owners, Onyango revealed that the store has been instructed to hire a counter-terrorism team before re-opening.

“A congested place like that always attracts terror threats. We have asked them to have officers from Counter Terrorism in place to deter threats of terrorism. Once they do that, they are free to open their place at any time,” Onyango added. The low prices of items had generated significant excitement among customers.

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