National Cleaning Exercise: Police to probe errant officers
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the public overwhelmingly embraced the exercise and participated in large numbers despite criticism sparked by viral videos showing confrontations between security personnel and members of the public.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the public overwhelmingly embraced the exercise and participated in large numbers despite criticism sparked by viral videos showing confrontations between security personnel and members of the public. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)
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Police have defended its enforcement of the nationwide cleaning exercise last Saturday, but acknowledged isolated incidents of misconduct by some officers that are now under internal review.
Addressing journalists on Monday (July 27) at Police Headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the public overwhelmingly embraced the exercise and participated in large numbers despite criticism sparked by viral videos showing confrontations between security personnel and members of the public.
“First and foremost, I would like to appreciate the people because they largely appreciated the cause and participated in large numbers,” Kituuma said.
He said social media users had singled out one incident involving a police officer while overlooking the conduct of thousands of security personnel, who carried out the operation professionally.
Kituuma noted that enforcement operations inevitably generate isolated disagreements between officers and members of the public.
“You will always find someone unwilling to comply, and you may also find an officer who misinterprets instructions. Such situations are not unusual during enforcement operations, but we have established mechanisms for addressing complaints,” he said.
He urged the public to use official complaint channels instead of relying solely on social media.
“Social media is not going to solve all these issues. Where you encounter difficulties with an officer on the ground, there are established mechanisms through which you can report the matter and seek redress,” Kituuma said.
The police spokesperson cited an incident in Kasese, where tourists were briefly delayed after some officers misunderstood operational instructions.
Kituuma said the large volumes of garbage collected during the exercise highlighted the need for the cleanup campaign.
“If such huge quantities of waste were collected, it shows there was a genuine need to clean our environment. The amount of waste generated is testimony that the exercise was long overdue,” he said.
Kituuma added that police had already begun conducting an after-action review to identify operational gaps and improve future exercises.
“Like any major operation, we have drawn lessons. Where officers fell short of public expectations, appropriate action will be taken. We expect the next exercise to be better than the first,” he said.
He appealed to Ugandans to comply with government directives, emphasising that police are mandated to enforce lawful orders.