Banning of Police Bonds: The President Acted in Favor of the People.
On 31st December 2024, His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni delivered his End of Year address to Ugandans. The President basing at his country home in Rwakitura addressed Ugandans through Radio, Television and other media channels. Due to an enabling environment that the government has championed and maintained, Uganda now has different media channels.
Back to the address, the President congratulated all Ugandans upon completing the year 2024. The president noted that in the year 2024 like some of the previous years Uganda remained peaceful on account of God, a strong Army, the other sister security services and a supportive population. The President cited an example of June 2023 when the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists attacked some areas in the western part of Uganda, the combined capacity of Uganda’s security apparatus, was partially activated, including the LDUs. Within a couple of months, the whole group was destroyed, including the killing of the group leader, Kamusu. He said,” It is that capacity of God, the Army, the other sister Security Forces and the People, that even in this year ending, has kept Uganda stable.”
The President however noted that 2024 has seen a rampant increase in stealing of cattle, goats, cash crops like coffee, food crops etc in certain parts of the country. The president was irked by the soft handling by the police and the courts of such criminals through giving them police bonds and court bails. As a result the criminals have returned to their respective communities and caused more havoc and harm to the same residents that earlier reported them to Police and courts of law. The residents have since lost confidence in the laws and institutions tasked to protect them.
The citizens have appealed to the president on the issue of releasing suspected criminals and as a responsible leader, the president has raised the issue of bails with His Lordship the Chief Justice (because that is how far his powers can go), and he has also banned the issuance of Police bonds. The President said, “Any police personnel that give a police bond to a village thief when the case is ready for trial, will be held fully accountable.”
Unfortunately as a result of the President’s intervention the some elites have come up to criticize the President citing all sorts of laws. They may be right in their own right but they are not speaking at the level of the ordinary person.
Let us put this into perspective. A resident of Parish B qualifies and receives PDM funds worth 1m (One Million). They invest the said amount into animal rearing (goats, chicken etc) or into crop farming (maize, beans, etc) at the time when they should be harvesting a thief comes and vandalizes the farms or gardens stealing the animals and or the crops. The resident reports the matter to police (and probably shares some useful information) and the suspects are arrested. But to the resident’s surprise the criminal is released on police bond in a blink of an eye and once they return to the village, they terrorize the village further while bragging that the police cannot do anything to them.
Please note as a result of the above scenario, many residents have lived in fear while others have been forced to abandon their comfortable beds and sleep in their gardens or kraals to protect the remaining crops and animals. Also note that the PDM funds that the residents receive must be paid back after a period of time. It is the cries of such people that the President is trying to address. While the elites have proposed several options, unfortunately they can only apply in the long run and when funds are available. For the people that have followed the President for sometime may know that the President will do whatever it takes to ensure this country is very peaceful and that the ordinary people are supported in their social economic transformation journeys.
In the same speech the President mentioned that once these criminals are arrested and imprisoned, it will not only pacify the villages but he also tasked the government (Prisons et al) to ensure that the criminals are taught some skills while in prison so that once they have served their sentences, they return to their respective villages more useful than they left.
Over the years there have also been complaints in the media that some police officers were extorting money from criminals in order to grant them police bonds. Is it not a blessing in disguise now that the President has banned granting of police bonds to criminals? Therefore the President of Uganda acted within his powers as Commander in Chief of all armed forces to stop the police from granting bonds to village criminals so that the ordinary person may live to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
