SOLDIERS TRAIN TO TAKE POLICE JOBS
Soldiers train to take police jobs
CHRIS OBORE
KAMPALA
ALREADY embroiled in controversy over questions of regional imbalance, the recent recruitment of 350 police cadets will now have to contend with reports that at least 40 serving soldiers were quietly drafted into the training programme as part of a move to have the force firmly under military control.
The cadets are training at Masindi Police Training School. Police sources, who chose to speak anonymously for fear of being reprimanded because the training of the soldiers as police cadets is secret, said that the plan is to deploy the soldiers in the critical positions of district police commanders around the country.
Although army administrators were cagey in their comments, the sources said that the soldiers were drawn from various military units with the majority coming from the army headquarters in Bombo. “All that is false information,” said Army Chief of Staff Robert Rusoke. “What are they doing in police?”
MILITARISING? Inspector General of Police Kayihura speaks to recruits during training
When a list of some of the soldiers’ names was read out to him, Brig. Rusoke said some of the trainees could have been in the auxilliary forces such as Amuka and have since been demobilised. “When we demobilised them,” he said, “some were taken by police and others by UPDF.”
Told that some of the trainees were actually known UPDF officers at the rank of lieutenant, Brig. Rusoke said: “I am surprised. Maybe they are on specific training.”
Although any Ugandan who meets required standards is free to join the police force, serving army officers would ideally have to retire before seeking to put on the uniform of another force.
This practice, however, has systematically been disregarded since Lt. Gen. Katumba Wamala replaced Mr John Kisembo as Inspector General of Police in 2000.
This was the start of what critics say is President Museveni’s plan to straighten out the police force, which he has often criticised, by bringing it under military supervision.
In 2005, another senior military officer – Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura – replaced Lt. Gen. Wamala, presently commander of the Land Forces.
The army’s Chief of Personal and Administration, Col. Phinehas Katirima, also expressed surprise when asked to comment on the story.
“How can soldiers be trained by policemen?” he asked.
Some of the 40 soldiers in police training are lieutenants Stephen Agaba Rugubwa, Sharif Seiko Chemonges, Job Mutegeki, Joram Mwesigye, Dennis Karugaba, Godfrey Achiria and Tinka Zarugaba.
Lt. Mwesigye has been based at 2 Division in Mbarara, while Lt. Agaba was based at Bombo. Lt Chemonges was stationed in Kapchorwa as district internal security officer.
“We did not deliberately recruit soldiers if any,” said Mr Felix Ndyomugenyi, the acting commissioner of police in charge of human resource development and training.
“We recruited civilians and some serving police officers [who did not have cadet training before for lack of the right qualifications but who have since attained the minimum requirement of a degree]. Maybe they did not disclose that they are soldiers. There were many boards interviewing but I don’t think we took soldiers.”
The recruitment took place two months ago. Meanwhile, the authorities at the Masindi school have dismissed some of the recruits under unclear circumstances.
On September 19, 22 recruits were summarily sent packing. After that dismissal, Sunday Monitor has learnt, 56 new recruits were delivered to the school and yet no advertisement was made for their recruitment.
The 22 men were dismissed on health grounds, a decision they challenge because no valid medical examination was done. Some of the dismissed recruits told this newspaper that on the morning of September 19, all trainees had run about 16km when they were called for a parade. The authorities then issued letters of dismissal to the 22 on grounds “that following the medical examination that was conducted by the police surgeon, you were found to be medically unfit to undergo the rigours of training”.
The letters were signed by Mr Andrew Kaweesi, the school’s commandant.
One of those sent packing said: “After giving us letters, the police surgeon was called to look at us and recommend dismissal. I have consulted three doctors and they say I have no illness.”
He said some of his dismissed colleagues were alleged to be suffering from hypertension and yet they had done all the rigorous exercises thus far without any complaints.
“We learnt later that they accused us of being opposition,” said the man who asked not to be named just in case he jeopardises any chance he may have to return to the school. “Some [of us] had no clear political leaning so they couldn’t trust us.”
Mr Ndyomugyenyi could not comment on this allegation.
Those dismissed include Joseph Munyaneza, Moses Maloba, Margaret Gamwera, Johnson Buhinja, Abaati Mwesigye, Michael Matanda and Emmy Ewany. They were all in-serving policemen who had applied for cadet training so they could rise to the rank of assistant superintendent of police.
Others are Innocent Arituhe, Jeninah Amumpaire, Charles Bwayomba, Raphael Isingoma, Rogers Asiimwe, Moses Okumu, Samuel Mulekwa, Charles Mutungi and Didio Omoding.
Eleven of the dismissed trainees petitioned Parliament on Friday.
In addition to the contentious recruitment and dismissals, documents obtained by Sunday Monitor show that the recruitment exercise was marred by irregularities.
For instance, while one of the requirements was that candidates must have their original degree certificates, some were recruited without such documents.
The successful candidates were required to report for training on September 1, but Mr Chemonges only graduated on September 27 with a degree in tourism from Makerere University. Which begs the question: whose degree certificate did he present to the recruiters?
The documents also show that several candidates were taken as in-serving police officers when in fact they were not. Names of 100 in-service police officers were submitted to the Police Authority for aptitude tests. Some 56 of them qualified for oral interviews and 37 were eventually passed.
However, instead of sending 37 names of in-service police officers, 78 names were sent to Masindi, meaning that 41 names were picked from outside the list of short-listed in-service officers.
Asked to explain the anomally in numbers, Mr Ndyomugenyi said: “A number of serving police officers sat interviews. Some failed and some passed. There were many interview panels.” sources said the museveni governments recruit people from tanzania in secret police. those tanzanians do speaks kinyankole. their language are simillar to nyankole. first they were trained in tanzania as army security personnel, all were given uganda citizen the sources stated. and now recruited in uganda police force the source added. brvo. very interesting.
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CHRIS OBORE
KAMPALA
ALREADY embroiled in controversy over questions of regional imbalance, the recent recruitment of 350 police cadets will now have to contend with reports that at least 40 serving soldiers were quietly drafted into the training programme as part of a move to have the force firmly under military control.
The cadets are training at Masindi Police Training School. Police sources, who chose to speak anonymously for fear of being reprimanded because the training of the soldiers as police cadets is secret, said that the plan is to deploy the soldiers in the critical positions of district police commanders around the country.
Although army administrators were cagey in their comments, the sources said that the soldiers were drawn from various military units with the majority coming from the army headquarters in Bombo. “All that is false information,” said Army Chief of Staff Robert Rusoke. “What are they doing in police?”
MILITARISING? Inspector General of Police Kayihura speaks to recruits during training
When a list of some of the soldiers’ names was read out to him, Brig. Rusoke said some of the trainees could have been in the auxilliary forces such as Amuka and have since been demobilised. “When we demobilised them,” he said, “some were taken by police and others by UPDF.”
Told that some of the trainees were actually known UPDF officers at the rank of lieutenant, Brig. Rusoke said: “I am surprised. Maybe they are on specific training.”
Although any Ugandan who meets required standards is free to join the police force, serving army officers would ideally have to retire before seeking to put on the uniform of another force.
This practice, however, has systematically been disregarded since Lt. Gen. Katumba Wamala replaced Mr John Kisembo as Inspector General of Police in 2000.
This was the start of what critics say is President Museveni’s plan to straighten out the police force, which he has often criticised, by bringing it under military supervision.
In 2005, another senior military officer – Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura – replaced Lt. Gen. Wamala, presently commander of the Land Forces.
The army’s Chief of Personal and Administration, Col. Phinehas Katirima, also expressed surprise when asked to comment on the story.
“How can soldiers be trained by policemen?” he asked.
Some of the 40 soldiers in police training are lieutenants Stephen Agaba Rugubwa, Sharif Seiko Chemonges, Job Mutegeki, Joram Mwesigye, Dennis Karugaba, Godfrey Achiria and Tinka Zarugaba.
Lt. Mwesigye has been based at 2 Division in Mbarara, while Lt. Agaba was based at Bombo. Lt Chemonges was stationed in Kapchorwa as district internal security officer.
“We did not deliberately recruit soldiers if any,” said Mr Felix Ndyomugenyi, the acting commissioner of police in charge of human resource development and training.
“We recruited civilians and some serving police officers [who did not have cadet training before for lack of the right qualifications but who have since attained the minimum requirement of a degree]. Maybe they did not disclose that they are soldiers. There were many boards interviewing but I don’t think we took soldiers.”
The recruitment took place two months ago. Meanwhile, the authorities at the Masindi school have dismissed some of the recruits under unclear circumstances.
On September 19, 22 recruits were summarily sent packing. After that dismissal, Sunday Monitor has learnt, 56 new recruits were delivered to the school and yet no advertisement was made for their recruitment.
The 22 men were dismissed on health grounds, a decision they challenge because no valid medical examination was done. Some of the dismissed recruits told this newspaper that on the morning of September 19, all trainees had run about 16km when they were called for a parade. The authorities then issued letters of dismissal to the 22 on grounds “that following the medical examination that was conducted by the police surgeon, you were found to be medically unfit to undergo the rigours of training”.
The letters were signed by Mr Andrew Kaweesi, the school’s commandant.
One of those sent packing said: “After giving us letters, the police surgeon was called to look at us and recommend dismissal. I have consulted three doctors and they say I have no illness.”
He said some of his dismissed colleagues were alleged to be suffering from hypertension and yet they had done all the rigorous exercises thus far without any complaints.
“We learnt later that they accused us of being opposition,” said the man who asked not to be named just in case he jeopardises any chance he may have to return to the school. “Some [of us] had no clear political leaning so they couldn’t trust us.”
Mr Ndyomugyenyi could not comment on this allegation.
Those dismissed include Joseph Munyaneza, Moses Maloba, Margaret Gamwera, Johnson Buhinja, Abaati Mwesigye, Michael Matanda and Emmy Ewany. They were all in-serving policemen who had applied for cadet training so they could rise to the rank of assistant superintendent of police.
Others are Innocent Arituhe, Jeninah Amumpaire, Charles Bwayomba, Raphael Isingoma, Rogers Asiimwe, Moses Okumu, Samuel Mulekwa, Charles Mutungi and Didio Omoding.
Eleven of the dismissed trainees petitioned Parliament on Friday.
In addition to the contentious recruitment and dismissals, documents obtained by Sunday Monitor show that the recruitment exercise was marred by irregularities.
For instance, while one of the requirements was that candidates must have their original degree certificates, some were recruited without such documents.
The successful candidates were required to report for training on September 1, but Mr Chemonges only graduated on September 27 with a degree in tourism from Makerere University. Which begs the question: whose degree certificate did he present to the recruiters?
The documents also show that several candidates were taken as in-serving police officers when in fact they were not. Names of 100 in-service police officers were submitted to the Police Authority for aptitude tests. Some 56 of them qualified for oral interviews and 37 were eventually passed.
However, instead of sending 37 names of in-service police officers, 78 names were sent to Masindi, meaning that 41 names were picked from outside the list of short-listed in-service officers.
Asked to explain the anomally in numbers, Mr Ndyomugenyi said: “A number of serving police officers sat interviews. Some failed and some passed. There were many interview panels.” sources said the museveni governments recruit people from tanzania in secret police. those tanzanians do speaks kinyankole. their language are simillar to nyankole. first they were trained in tanzania as army security personnel, all were given uganda citizen the sources stated. and now recruited in uganda police force the source added. brvo. very interesting.
Did you like this article? Email it to a friend | Get printer-friendly version
Job Mart
See all listed jobs
AMREF: Project Manager
HAP Officer
AMREF Job opportunities
District NAADS Coordinator
Sponsored Links
Ministry of Education and Sports
Fund Allocation for Essential Medicines for December 2007
Ministry of Finance - Call for proposals
National Medical Stores - Public Notice
Study in UK- Registration in progress
Uganda launches a Campaign on Hand Washing with Soap
Cabinet decision on status of MUBS
Ministry of Education and Sports- Press Release
Q SOURCING to hold job fairs
Uganda’s hottest CD of the year out now
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