Museveni explains why roads are closed when he is moving

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said the reason his security closes roads when he is moving is the existential threat still posed by the rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces-ADF.

Addressing the country Friday evening, Museveni said until they have dealt with ADF decisively, the inconvenience the closure has on other road users will continue.

“When I’m moving around sometime, they stop vehicles which is something I wouldn’t like but because we still have these types of elements; that’s why the security takes precautions which sometimes inconvenience the public but we are really weeding out especially ADF in Congo and we shall get rid of those inconveniences after we have thoroughly uprooted ADF,” said Museveni.

For close to a year now, the Special Forces Command, the army that protects the president closes roads wherever the president is going to pass leading to very heavy traffic jams. The closures sometimes stretch beyond an hour leading to other road user to think out aloud about what could be the president’s phobias. The President’s fears of ADF run contrary to what his government has said for years that the rebel group with a base in the Democratic Republic of Congo had been dealt a heavy blow that it could not carry out any attacks in the heart of Uganda; Kampala city.

Meanwhile, Museveni assured the country that the current spate of attacks on security personnel is no more than criminal acts of a few individuals some of whom are linked to ADF.

“When you attack armed people, you may succeed once but once the armed people know the group attacking them, they are alert. This time you come they will be ready for them and that’s what is happening… I want to assure the public that these are shallow types of actions which shouldn’t worry you because those which are linked to ADF we shall deal with them. They are really in a bad situation in Congo and in their stupidity, they were thinking that the forest is a safe place for them without knowing that the forest is a very good place for us…You come to attack a police station you will die that really shouldn’t worry you at all,” explained Museveni.

He enumerated the different attacks on security personnel and indicated the actions so far taken against the perpetrators. Of those mentioned, is the attack at a concert in Kapeeka Playground in Nakaseke district where one UPDF officer and two attackers were killed. Museveni identified one of the assailants as Denis Ssekimpi who was identified by the several documents he had on his body such as a National ID, driving permit and a loan agreement and other documents.

“An analysis of the documents of Ssekimpi is that he lives in Namusera in Wakiso district where he has some rentals and he is a member of the NUP -National Unity Platform executive of Wakiso district. Preliminary investigations show that Ssekimpi was a serial killer and robber using the very gun we recovered at Kapeeka he stole by killing a security guard,” said Museveni.

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