IGP Ochola hails Gen Kayihura for revamping sports in police force

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Inspector-General of Police Martin Ochola has urged Ugandans celebrating Olympics medals won by police officers to extol his predecessor, Gen Edward Kale Kayihura for his efforts to revamp sports activities in the force.

Ochola in a statement shared to journalists by Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga, said the medals won by Inspector of Police-IP Joshua Cheptegei and Special Police Constable-SPC Peruth Chemutai, are a result of Gen Kayihura’s decision to identify and recruit talented young people into the force.

Cheptegei and Chemutai both won gold medals at the just concluded 2020 Olympics games in Tokyo, Japan. Cheptegei won gold in the 5000-metre race and silver in men’s 10,000-metre race, while Chemutai scooped gold in the 3000 meter steeplechase challenge.

Gen Kayihura in 2012 launched a campaign to identify young and talented men and women regardless of their education to be recruited into the police force as SPCs or Probation Police Constables. In order to achieve his dream, Gen Kayihura started organizing sporting activities in various parts of the country and a number of young ladies were recruited as SPCs. Chemutai and Cheptegei were recruited under that sports arrangement.

“Special thanks go to Gen Kayihura who helped to revamp the sports in the police in the year 2012. The story of how we got to the Olympic and achieved spectacular accomplishments were a result of his strategic guidance and where police management directed resources towards the sports sector including identifying and recruiting young talent and growing their career in the force,” Ochola said.

Ochola has promised to meet the winners and reward them accordingly. Ochola in 2018 promoted Cheptegei from SPC to Constable and then promoted him to Inspector of Police. This was after winning two gold medals in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres competitions.

SPC Stella Chesang was promoted from SPC to Constable and immediately promoted to Inspector of Police while SPC Mercyline Chelengatwas from SPC to Constable and also promoted to Assistant Inspector of police.

The police force sports department that falls under the IGP’s office has been directed to prepare athletes for the 2024 Olympics that will be held in Paris, France.

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