We defeated al-Shabab, says Kayihura

PIC: Participants after the meeting at Resort Hotel in Wakiso recently

SECURITY

WAKISO - The Inspector General of Police, Kale Kayihura confirmed that Uganda, together with the regional Police of Eastern Africa, managed to defeat the infamous terrorist group of al-Shabab "even if it is still causing problems in Somalia."

Gen. Kayihura made the remarks during the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (EAPCCO) organs meeting at Resort Hotel in Wakiso district on Thursday.

The IGP said it has been 20 years of achievement for the co-operation, which started with three countries; Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and now having a membership of fourteen countries.

"It does not mean that we do not have challenges, but we have achieved a continental mechanism of combating crime," Kayihura said.

Kayihura, who is also the EAPCCO chairperson, called upon all the organs of the co-operation to come up with an agenda of how to help Somalia and DR Congo in a bid to fight cross-border crimes in the region. 

Meanwhile, the incoming permanent co-ordinating committee chairperson of the co-operation, who is also Uganda's head of criminal intelligence, Grace Akullo, it was such a great achievement of bringing DRC on board.

"DR Congo was being used by many criminals and we always faced a big trouble to bring them to book as well as recovering the stolen property. At a certain point, our detectives were detained in DR Congo for nearly two months. Now that the country is a member of EAPCCO, we are in a better position," she said.

Akullo further expressed a need for visiting the middle east, describing it as a hatching ground for grave crimes which are later smuggled into the eastern Africa region.

EAPCCO was established in 1998 as a regional response to fight transnational and organised crime in the eastern region of Africa. Members include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Rwanda, Somalia and Seychelles.