Rioting policemen's wives hold police boss hostage

By Eddie Ssejjoba

Spouses of policemen and their children in a Naguru barracks Tuesday held the Kampala Metropolitan Commander, Andrew Kaweesi, hostage for hours in a demonstration protesting against power cuts and poor living conditions.

This was the second day of demonstrations involving family members of policemen protesting against a move by the administration to disconnect power in several police units for poor and illegal connections.

On Monday a group of women from Kireka, Mbuya and a few from Naguru barracks demonstrated along Jinja Road and caused traffic mayhem.

Commanders on Monday engaged the women but they refused to listen to their pleas until they were intercepted at Lugogo where they sat in the middle of the road, forcing antiriot police to arrest the ringleaders though they were later released.

“You are not leaving this place until power is connected back, no power no work,” the angry women clubbing saucepans and waving placards sang and surrounded the commander.

Moments before Kaweesi came, police tried to use tear gas to stop the women who were matching towards Kampala city center, saying they wanted to go to parliament and explain their woes to legislators.

He however convinced them and diverted them back to the barracks where they gave him conditions before he left the place. They kept singing and dancing with their children, shouting, “We want power, we want power”.

They applauded Kaweesi when he announced that he would not leave the place until power was fixed back and kept him in the sunshine. He was later provided with a plastic chair and sat, surrounded by the demonstrators.

Several policemen kept a few meters away, watching the drama saying they supported the demonstration because they had been maligned by top officers.

Demonstrators said they had experienced power cuts for two weeks, yet they used power to cook. “There is no salary, our husbands don’t have money to buy charcoal to cook beans, we cannot iron their uniforms and our children can’t revise their books because of power cuts,” the women said.

They said big officers in better houses were not affected by power cuts.

“Government has refused to build houses for our husbands, they build their small houses and connect power by themselves, now they say it is illegal connection,” they said.

Kaweesi explained to the demonstrators that power disconnections in police units was general and had been done with good intentions but apologized for having not properly communicated to them.

“We have been having many illegal connections in most barracks, and in some areas like Kireka members of the public steal our power but we are sorry for not having communicated to you about this,” he explained.

Police trucks immediately came to the scene and removed heaps of garbage after women complained of the place being filthy.

 “Why do you clean only your homes and leave us to stay in such a filthy environment,” they complained.

Kaweesi was able to leave the place at about 1.00pm after Umeme workers reconnected power in the barracks amidst cheers from the demonstrators.

The deputy director in charge construction and land management, Laban Muhabwe on Monday also ordered power to be connected back in Kireka barracks as they sort out other issues.