Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni Thursday said every vehicle and motorcycle will be required to have a digital monitoring device as part of his government’s attempts to contain cases of insecurity in the country, like the recent assassination attempt at Works and Transport minister, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala.
“Every vehicle and motorcycle must have a digital monitor. If you try to remove it, we shall go for you. It will show us where you are at any one time. As soon as there is a crime, we go. I don’t want any wasting time in investigations. I have told Gen David Muhoozi (State minister for internal affairs) to check what has happened to that plan. We would not be wasting time on who was there,” Mr Museveni said as he addressed Parliament during budget reading.
“Instead of working, you go to attack people. These are parasites. Ugandans like nice life; these days, there is no noise because of corona. When corona ends, I want my people to go back to enjoying themselves and jumping up and down. We shall crash the parasites. I’m here to tell the parasites that we shall crash them; we managed the rebellion, now this one is like a jigger. To get it you go for its eye; so this problem of the criminals we shall not use roadblocks, we shall go for the eye of the jigger,” he added.
The president further noted that most guns in Uganda have been finger-printed by security agencies.
“The deputy IGP, Gen Paul Loketch says that they already know the fingerprints on the gun used in the Gen Katumba shooting,” he said.
According to him, government catered for technical means which security have started employing to fight crime in the country.
“Once the police wake up and uses the cameras more effectively, you will see how they will help us stop crime,” he added.
Mr Museveni said Gen Katumba’s assassination attempt was politically motivated.
“The attack on Katumba is not any ordinary crime; this was a definite political motive and we shall know which pig it was. NRM never uses assassinations because we are sure of ourselves. Why should I kill you because you are opposing you,” he said.
“There are so many people I would have killed for annoying me, one of them is Cecilia Ogwal. She had a bad tongue. If I had killed her, she would have been a hero now. If I had killed [Kizza] Besigye, he would have been a hero. Groups that use assassination are bankrupt. It means they are not sure of themselves,” he added.
Ms Ogwal is Dokolo District Woman MP formerly a member of the Uganda People’s Congress which Museveni has on several occasions castigated for what he described as mismanagement of the country under Milton Obote’s leadership.
Ms Ogwal is now a member of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party.
Dr Besigye, a former FDC president has challenged President Museveni four times in election.
According to Mr Museveni, however, the schemers of insecurity are “wasting their time.”
“They only provoke us and we increase our capacity. Like in Karamoja, those working with the Turkanas to steal cows and hide them in Kenya, we shall go for you jointly with President Kenyatta,” he said.
According to state minister for planning, Mr Amos Lugoloobi, Government has budgeted Shs. 6.9 trillion next financial year to create a peaceful and secure environment for economic growth and development.
While reading Uganda’s budget before Parliament sitting at Kololo Independence Grounds on Thursday, Mr Lugoloobi said the money will be used to acquire, refurbish and maintain military equipment; complete the construction of the Military Referral Hospital in Mbuya and train military medical personnel and procure medical equipment and commence construction of 30,000 housing units for the military, the construction of the military museum, as well as military barracks.
“Improve urban security with implementation of phase III of the Safe City CCTV project,” he said.
