KCCA, govt offices reopen but step up security

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA and buildings hosting government offices along Parliament Avenue have reopened four days after they were closed following last week’s twin bomb explosions.

The twin bombings hit Kampala at the Central Police Station-CPS on Buganda road and the IPS building along Parliament Avenue killing six people and injuring 33 others.

Following the explosions, security cordoned off part of Parliamentary Avenue from National Theatre to Food Hub at Jinja Road as part of the investigations into the bombings.

Parliamentary Avenue and George Street that host several government institutions which include the Parliament of Uganda, Uganda Prisons Service Headquarters, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Education, the Inspectorate of Government, Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA, and the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology and National Guidance were partially closed until Friday when they started returning to normalcy.

At the entrance of the offices, security has been enhanced to ensure the safety of people accessing the facilities.

At KCCA, police brought in a sniffer dog to check for explosives in the Public Library and Information Center. Every vehicle accessing the premises is thoroughly checked. They asked the motorists entering the hotel to not only open their car doors but also the car boot for a look around, before continuing to the parking lot.

For pedestrians, the guest goes through the walk-through metal detector and their bags are searched.

At Jubilee House where the office of the Inspectorate of Government-IG is situated, there was restricted access to the offices. No guest is not allowed to sit at the waiting area without first identifying themselves.

Munirah Ali, the spokesperson of the IG says the office is trying to resume operations safely.

Apart from KCCA and IG’s office, security at other government offices including the Ministry of Education, Justice and Constitutional Affairs, ICT and National Guidance and the Uganda Prisons Service Headquarters has equally been enhanced at checkpoints.

The Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Oweyesigyire says that people should be security cautious. He says security shall have sniffer dogs in different areas of the government offices to detect any dangerous devices. He also says Police have advised all government offices to enhance security at checkpoints.

Parliament Avenue is still closed except for Pedestrians going to government offices and civil servants in those offices. It is not yet known when the road shall be opened and normalcy returns to the area.

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