Police leadership critical ahead of 2026 polls

Yesterday, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Martins Okoth-Ochola, retired as head of the Uganda Police Force. He handed the office to his deputy, Gen Geoffrey Katsigazi Tumusiime.   Mr Ochola, who served the force for 36 years, rose in the ranks to the top office.

On March 14, 2018, he was appointed as Gen Kale Kayihura’s replacement, at a time the President was discontented with the performance and the behaviour of police officers.  His appointment was two years after the 2016 polls and three years before the 2021 elections that tested the country’s political, economic, and social capacity to ensure citizens vote during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some circles might say Mr Ochola, 65, is still young and should continue serving, considering that the presidential and term limits were removed from the Constitution. The same group can also argue that Mr Ochola, as a career policeman, has not had as many scandals and incidents as his predecessor Kayihura.

Gen Kayihura was in August 2014 charged for failure to protect war materials, abetting kidnap, and failure to supervise police officers at the General Court Martial.  The court martial dropped the charges last year.

In 2019, the US sanctioned ex-IGP Kayihura “for using corruption and bribery to strengthen his political position, as units under his command committed serious human rights abuses”.

At the time, Mr Ochola had spent less than two years as IGP. Mr Ochola’s legacy was challenged by, among others, the November 2020 riots. The riots erupted on November 18, 2020, in Kampala and other towns after police arrested then National Unity Platform (NUP) party presidential flagbearer Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, in Luuka District.

In an address on November 29, 2020, President Museveni, said 54 people were killed, mostly by shooting, during the 3-day disturbances. Mr Museveni ordered an investigation into the riots and said the report should be made public.

According to the article “Police report on November 2020 killings costs Shs 70,000” by The Observer newspaper on May 25, 2022, Police spokesperson Fred “Enanga said the comprehensive report into the November 2020 shootings was released and can only be accessed through writing to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martins Okoth-Ochola and paying about Shs 60,000 to Shs 70,000”.

Secondly, the police did not change much in the way it handled journalists during Mr Ochola’s tenure, with the force being ranked as the top violator of press freedom in the last 10 years. On April 12, 2023, Corporal Ogwal Yeeko pepper-sprayed journalists Francis Isano and Mr Thomas Kitimbo, as police dispersed medical intern doctors, who were demonstrating in Kampala.

Therefore, as discussions on who will be the next IGP ensue, Mr Ochola’s reign underscores the need for tough measures against human rights violators, criminals, and would-be criminals, both civilians and people in uniform.

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