The Police have revealed plans to equip all traffic officers with guns.

Fred Enanga, the Police spokesperson, said on Monday whereas some traffic officers were already equipped, the force had plans to acquire more pistols.

The development comes a day after a traffic police officer was shot and injured by UPDF soldiers while on duty. The traffic police officer Robert Mukebezi was shot and injured in Ntinda following a minor accident in the area.

Mukebezi attached to the Ntinda Police station was seated on the passenger side of a tow truck that was towing a military Toyota Prado TX registration number H4DF 1391 belonging to a senior officer after it was involved in an accident.

The army on Sunday said “preliminary information indicated that there was a misunderstanding between the traffic officer and the soldiers regarding recovery of a military vehicle that was involved in the accident. In the process, unfortunately, the traffic officer was shot and injured in the leg. The officer was rushed to Mulago Hospital and fortunately, he has been stabilized and is out of danger.”

Acting Defence Spokesperson Ronald Kakurungu said the suspect was still on the run but a search for him is underway and very useful clues leading to his arrest have already been obtained.

“UPDF and the Uganda Police Force have also launched joint investigations into the matter,” Kakurungu added.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said the accident happened from Ntinda-Kiwatule Road when the UPDF vehicle knocked a signpost at about 5:00 am.

Owoyesigyire said after the accident the occupants left the car and by the time police were towing it away, it had no occupant.

“The vehicle was towed away early in the morning during daybreak. As the officer seated inside a tow truck was approaching former Tuskys Ntinda another double cabin intercepted them, persons in military fatigue came out and shot at the driver’s side,” Owoyesigyire said.

He noted that officer Mukebezi sustained serious injuries on the leg and is now in Mulago hospital casualty ward in critical condition after he lost a lot of blood.

“They then forced the tow truck to take the car to the preferred destination point,” Owoyesigyire added.

The proposal to arm traffic police officers is not new. In June last year, President Yoweri Museveni said traffic officers would be armed or paired with armed officers in a bid to contain cases of insecurity. This follows an attempted assassination against former army commander Gen Katumba Wamala which left his daughter Brenda Nantongo and driver Haruna Kayondo.

In a televised address Museveni said Gen Katumba’s attackers who rode on two motorbikes encountered a traffic officer as they fled the scene on the Kisota-Kulambiro Road in Kampala, but they refused to stop because the officer was not armed.