Uganda Police evicts officers’ families from Kabalagala police barracks

Posted by: Kyeyune Andrew Jonathan in World news October 19, 2016

Uganda Police officers on Wednesday threw out household property of colleagues who had refused to vacate houses in city barracks.

check also: Is The Uganda Police Really Making Miracles?

The Uganda police authorities had given the officers and their families’ an ultimatum of two days; starting Monday, to vacate the barracks and relocate to their new duty stations.

At Kabalagala Police Barracks, in Makindye Division, wives of the Uganda police officers threw tantrums as some openly wept; worried of their families camping in the open without a roof over their heads. Many told Daily Monitor that they had nowhere to go to forge a new life.

Ms Beatrice Akello, a mother of six children, said she has lived in the police barracks since 1997, explaining that her husband is bedridden in Moroto District and she doesn’t have transport to take her to Lira Town where her parents reside.
‘’What do you want me to do? You gave us only two weeks to vacate. Where do you expect us to get money for transfer? Do you want me to carry my luggage on my head up to Lira?’’ Akello asked.

Ms Akello pleaded with the police authorities to help and transport them to where their husbands and families live.
‘’Let them at least bring for us lorries to transport us up to our families.

Is the Uganda police planning to do something better?

We are stranded right now and government should indeed intervene,’’ Akello said as she and her children stood near the heap of their household property but clueless on where to go.

Many of the officers families were left crying and pleading that they be given more time to allow their candidate class children complete their on-going examinations.

Ms Jenipher Aketch says she has lived in the barracks since 1994 and her children are in candidate classes and her husband abdoned her in the house and has nowhere to shelter her children.

“My children are candidates; one in Senior Four doing exams and the other in Primary Seven soon doing exams as well. Now I do not have money to rent a house in Kampala, so where do you want me to go?” Aketch asked.

Meanwhile, the area chairperson, Mr Yiga Gonzaga, welcomed the police authority’s decision to evict the officers’ families who were not working at the stations.

He said police officers who work at Kabalagala were not staying at the station since their houses were occupied by families of officers who had been transferred years back. He said police officers should sleep where they work to enable them respond to crime cases in time.

‘’This is a great opportunity to my residents because crimes could be committed at night but no police officers could report on duty since they live off station,’’ Mr Gonzaga said.

The Kabalagala DPC, Mr Isaac Mugerwa declined to comment on the eviction and barred journalists from covering the ejection of police officers families.

Source: daily monitor

check also;

This is not a Paywall, but Newslex Point's journalism consumes a lot of time, hard-work and money. That's why we're kindly requesting you to support us in anyway they can, for as little as $1 or more, you can support us .

Please use the button below to contribute to Newslex Point, Inc. using a credit card or via PayPal.