The Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu, has directed security agencies to ensure that all arrested suspects are detained in gazetted detention facilities and processed in accordance with the law.
Kamuntu said the government would not tolerate unlawful arrests and detention, emphasising that security agencies must respect the constitutional rights of suspects.
Articles 23 and 28 of the Constitution provide for the protection of personal liberty and guarantee safeguards relating to arrest, detention and fair trial.
“The issue of law in arresting suspects must be respected. We should do things in accordance with the law,” Kamuntu said.
He added that the Uganda Police Force would work closely with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Judiciary to expedite the trial of murder suspects.
He said the government would discourage what he described as unnecessary granting of police bonds and court bail, emphasising that suspects should be presented before courts of law for trial.
Kamuntu made the remarks while presenting a statement on selected security incidents in various districts and measures being undertaken by government to address them during Wednesday’s plenary sitting on November 4, 2026.
As part of the proposed interventions, the minister said government would accelerate the community policing model, under which every sub-county is expected to have 18 police officers, three motorcycles and a toll-free counter phone to strengthen intelligence gathering, community engagement and rapid response.
He said police would also map and analyse murder hotspots, motives, victims and recurring crime patterns to guide security operations and the deployment of personnel and resources.
“Crime statistics and a study of regional crime patterns will guide the deployment of personnel and resources,” he said.
Kamuntu maintained that Uganda remains largely secure, despite isolated criminal incidents attributed to land conflicts, property and inheritance disputes, poverty, economic stress, alcohol and drug abuse, criminal gangs and repeat offenders.
However, his assurances attracted scrutiny from opposition legislators, who questioned the continued detention of suspects in unauthorised facilities and government’s capacity to implement the proposed security interventions.
The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, welcomed the commitment to ensuring that suspects are detained in gazetted facilities but challenged the minister to address cases of people allegedly being held illegally.
Ssenyonyi said the minister should apologise to those affected and ensure that anyone unlawfully detained is either released or presented before court.
“I want to believe that is a commitment he [minister] is making, but he should begin by apologising because his statement acknowledges that some people have been detained in ungazetted detention facilities,” he said.
The Shadow Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Denes Sekabira, also questioned government’s commitment to rolling out community policing, citing inadequate funding for the programme.
Sekabira, a member of Parliament’s Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, said the Inspector General of Police had informed the committee that government had allocated Shs50 billion towards the programme against a projected requirement of Shs249 billion.
He argued that the funding shortfall raised questions about the government’s ability to deliver on its security commitments.
“I request the Minister to provide the number of sub-counties that have fully operationalised this model,” Sekabira said.
Responding to the concerns, the Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, said the Uganda Police Force was rationalising available resources to address the financial constraints.
He said police were conducting a mapping exercise to identify areas requiring additional security personnel as a matter of priority.
“With the resources that we have, we are doing a mapping exercise to determine which areas need to be beefed up with police officers as soon as possible,” Kiwanuka said.
Meanwhile, Hon. Dan Atwijukire (NRM, Kazo County) raised concerns over inadequate facilitation of community policing officers, particularly the limited fuel allowances provided to officers in charge of sub-counties.
Atwijukire said the challenges were undermining police mobility and the effectiveness of crime prevention efforts, noting that several police motorcycles had become grounded.
“Most of the motorcycles were grounded. As we try to fight crime, we need to look into these issues of facilitating police officers,” he said, calling for improved logistical support to enable officers to effectively execute their duties.
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