The Government has promised to fund a 7000 unit housing project for Uganda Police in order to provide modern housing facilities for the force. The investment which will start within Kampala Metropolitan and later roll out through the entire country will enable police to provide modern houses for its personnel.
The plan which is in advanced stages, was revealed by the Minister for Internal Affairs Ms. Rose Akol Okullu during a pass out ceremony of 89 officers who underwent four month training in Intermediate Command and Staff Course at the police college in Bwebajja, Wakiso district on 24 May 2016.
“We have funding to initially provide 7000 units of housing to our Uganda Police Force but starting with the Kampala Metropolitan area and thereafter spread out to other locations outside Kampala to address accommodation challenged we are facing,” the minister said.
She also disclosed that the Private Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement is in its final stage and will also help in solving the accommodation problem faced within the force.
The Minister commended the force for the job well done in ansuring a peaceful election and the swearing-in of the President-elect, General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The Minister was accompanied by the Deputy Inspector General of police (DIGP) Okoth Ochola, various heads of departments within Uganda Police Force, UPDF and Prisons.
Ochola revealed that Uganda Police has temporarily suspended the recruitment of new officers into the force to give room for in-service training of its personnel to fight the big backlog of over 20,000 personnel who lacked systematic carrier development especially among the regional and district police commanders.
The DIGP said that the Uganda Police Force is performing very well in peace keeping missions, something that has created demand from other countries to train their officers in Uganda. Hence the need for a well established training institute that meets the required international standard.
To the graduates, Ochola said the police management and the government is counting on them to energize policing in the country with the command and control skills achieved.
The course was attended by six officers from Uganda Prisons Service. Out of the 89 grandates 12 were women.
The school commandant Commissioner of Police Kafeero Moses said the collage signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United Nation University for Peace on February 2016 from which the students will be awarded with various qualifications ie post graduates, masters and PHDs in peace, conflict and security studies.
He added that collaboration with Makerere University College for Humanities and Social Studies has been instituted and awards in peace and conflict studies are to be given by the police college.
The commandant also revealed that the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) is being engaged so that certificates acquired from police colleges can be equated and be recognized by the council.
The Uganda Police Force has four training institutes. They are; Olilim Training school designed for training Counter Terrorism officers, Kabalye Training School in Masindi meant for initial training of cadets and specialized courses, Ikafe Training school in Yumbe to train police constables and one Staff College in Bwebajja designed for senior officers.