IGP Ochola releases targets for his new term

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  The Inspector General of Police, Martin Ochola, has released a list of targets he intends to achieve in his new term. Ochola was last week approved by Parliament to serve another term.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on March 4, 2018 appointed Ochola to replace Gen. Kale Kayihura who had been at the helm of police the force for more than 12 years. Ochola’s first contract ended a fortnight ago, but Museveni had already awarded him a new one in December last year.

In his list of targets for this new term, Ochola said the volatile security situation in Karamoja sub region will be among the key priorities in the next three years. Karamoja is currently facing cattle rustling which has left a number of people injured or killed in gun fire exchange.

Ochola’s list of targets was released to the media on Monday by Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga. The police chief has vowed to deal with corrupt officers who have seen the force being named as most corrupt year in year.

Last month, police was named as the most corrupt government institution in an independent joint appraisal by the Inspectorate of Government and Uganda Bureau of Statistics. The study revealed that 70 percent out of 129 respondents in functional districts cited regular police officers as most corrupt.

Not only the IGG, UBOS also named police as most corrupt but also the force’s Professional Standards Unit –PSU last year revealed that corruption and bribery were the common cases filed by civilians against police personnel.

Other things Ochola intends to emphasize is making necessary changes to ensure the UPF transformed by adopting new technologies and shifting away from the traditional methods of policing.

“There is will be ideological orientation with emphasis on mindset and attitude change on eliminating corruption in the entire Police Force, improving Welfare and Human Rights enforcement, increased police presence, in the greater Karamoja region as the significant reforms to be embarked on,” Ochola states.

Without revealing achievements for the last term, Ochola said he was able to perform because of support from heads of sister security agencies, police directors. Heads of specialized units and all frontline officers.

Police alongside military was able to recover more than 300 guns from criminals between 2018 and 2019. Security also dismantled over 28 criminal gangs targeting girls and children for kidnap, rape, murder and ransom. 

Other busted criminal gangs were killing and robbing mobile agencies while others killed more than 20 Bodaboda riders in Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Ibanda and Kazo districts. There was also a group that was radicalizing children for terror related activities.

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