President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has advised officers and men of the Uganda Peoples’Defence Forces to tighten their security mechanisms because he cannot take anymore impunity in the country.
President Museveni, who was addressing the nation at celebrations to mark Terehe Sita in Kitgum District on Wednesday, said a lot of killings have happened and killers have never been apprehended by security forces.
“If it requires changing tactics please do so because I can’t tolerate any impunity where Ugandans are killed and there’s no accountability but just investigations. Running a country is like treating patient, you must diagnose the cause of the sickness. If the diagnosis is wrong, treatment cannot work, that means change,” the President, who also cautioned UPDF soldiers and all sister security agencies to always respect civilians, said.
“Any army officer that barks at the public should be somewhere working in a bar. The army is recruited from the public. You cannot shout at your father or mother.”
Tarehe Sita is celebrated every February 6 to commemorate the day in 1981, President Museveni and the National Resistance Army (NRA) waged a five-year war that brought the current regime into power.
“The biggest achievement of NRA is that we destroyed all the remnants of the colonial state and we managed to form and mentor our own new pillars for a democratic and patriotic Uganda. Our army was built on three core values and they must understand them. They are; Independence, Patriotism and Pan Africanism,” he added.
Museveni’s call for accountability of people who are killed comes in time when the entire country is waiting for over 10 assassination reports from the security agencies; Uganda Police Force, Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Crime Intelligence.
Such pending assassination reports include: Major Muhammad Kgundu, Shark Ibrahim Kirya, Ibrahim Abiriga, Muhammad Kirumira, Joan Kagezi, 10 Entebbe girls murdered, Andrew Felix Kaweesi among others. Meanwhile, former Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and state minister of works Gen. Katumba Wamala hailed UPDF soldiers for keeping peace in Somalia and in Central African Republic. While the current CDF Gen David Muhoozi praised the ‘peoples’ army’ for the price they are willing to pay to see that Ugandans have peace.
Muhoozi also thanked President Museveni who is the Commander in Chief for building the forces on the culture of building patriotism and Pan Africanism.
