Genuine KCC law enforcement officers at a parade. Impostors wearing similar uniforms extort money from members of the public on a daily basis

TWO thirds of Kampala City Council
(KCC) law enforcement officers are fake, Saturday Vision has found out. Of the estimated 300 blue-uniformed officers who roam the streets of Kampala, only 100 are actually on the KCC payroll.

Extortion among these illegal officers is rampant, our survey found. They terrorise street vendors, construction foremen and businesspeople, threatening to arrest them for operating without licences unless they pay up.

Sources accuse local politicians of using KCC as a dumping ground to create employment for their supporters.

“Using their political influence, chairpersons ask the assistant town clerks in the divisions to employ their people as casual workers,” a source said. How to get rid of them is next on KCC’s long list of woes.

By Florence Nakaayi
Kampala City has been invaded by fake law enforcement officers, outnumbering the genuine ones.

A Kampala City Council (KCC) source disclosed to Saturday Vision that though they have only 100 law enforcement officers on the payroll, there are more than 300 men in blue uniforms pretending to be law and order enforcement officers in the city. Some of them even carry KCC identity cards. They survive by extorting money from city residents and engaging in crime.

In Kawempe Division, for instance, out of 46 people working as law enforcement officers, only 16 have appointment letters from KCC. This is according to the June 2008 Auditor General’s report into financial mismanagement in the division. The 31 claimed to have been employed as casual workers by an assistant town clerk.

The report’s concern was that since these unofficial law enforcement agents had not gone through the required recruitment and training process, they were likely to engage in illegal activities.

“Untrained law enforcement officers cannot render effective work of enforcing compliance with the division policies,” says the report signed by John Muwanga for AG.

A KCC source complained that these fake law enforcement officers conduct business without due regard to the chain of command or operational code of conduct.

Saturday Vision’s investigation shows that extortion by these illegal men is rampant in the city. Small scale businesses and construction sites have been among their softest targets.

Steven Kyambadde, a vendor along Burton Street, says a KCC officer arrested him and impounded his merchandise, threatening to take him to the KCC court. Panicking, and not knowing whether the blue uniformed man was genuine, Kyambadde yielded to his demands.

“On our way to court, he asked for sh20,000 to set me free.”

Robinah Acen, who sells sandals along Nabugabo Road, says she pays sh3,000 per week to a KCC law enforcement officer so that she is not arrested for trading without a licence.

Herbert Mukiibi, a hawker, nearly lost his clothes to men in uniform on a pick-up with civilian registration numbers in Kisaasi, Nakawa Division.

“They stopped me, claiming I was hawking without a permit. They tried to drag me onto the pick-up. I made an alarm and people came to my rescue,” he says.

Sources within KCC accused politicians of using the city authority as a dumping ground to create employment for their supporters.

“Using their political influence as division heads, chairpersons ask the assistant town clerks in the divisions to employ their people as causal workers,” said a source.

“When these people later penetrate the system, they start acting as KCC staff. Some of them make their own uniforms.”

But the chairperson Kampala Central Division, Godfrey Nyakaana, said politicians should not be blamed for the mess.

“That could be one opinion. But recruitment of workers is not the work of politicians. Assistant towns clerk are the ones concerned with the workers and their duties.”

The Town Clerk, Ruth Kijjambu, acknowledged the existence of the fake law enforcement officers. She has instructed her assistants in the divisions to get rid of casual workers, including law enforcement officers.

Kampala mayor, Nasser Sebaggala, says he does not know how the impostors got into the system.

“We have had a number of complaints over enforcement officers. Our concern now is how to get rid of them,” he says

Sebaggala says negotiations are underway between KCC and the Ministry of Local Government to hire a private security firm to strengthen law enforcement in the city. The private firm will work with KCC staff to improve law and order and get rid of the impostors.

“The private firm would be tested in Kampala Central Division first and if it is successful, the idea can be sold to other divisions.”

In the meantime, city council has ordered for new uniforms to help distinguish between genuine law enforcement officers from the fake ones, says the principal city law officer, Emmanuel Kiiza.