By Andrew Irumba
In a bid to fight rampant corruption within the Uganda Police Force, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martins Okoth Ochola, has reshuffled 395 traffic officers in a move he termed as ridding the traffic department of corruption.IGP Ochola gave the directive in a polocr message dated December 12, 2019, in which he transferred several senior officers from their duty stations and posted them elsewhere.
Our Sources within the police intimate that the decision to transfer the officers was taken during a recent meeting which was held by top police chiefs at police headquarters in Naguru.
At the said meeting, police chiefs observed that most traffic officers have served within one area especially Kampala Metropolitan for a long time, which has led them to be ranked as most corrupt officers.
“Most of these traffic officers have overstayed in Kampala and upheld corruption in the department,” said one of the top police Chiefs during the meeting.
We have since learnt that shortly after the meeting, Ochola appointed a team of investigators from crime intelligence to establish which stations each traffic officer had served before coming to the current station.
After being given a report, he ordered his director in charge of human resource to ensure that all traffic officers who have overstayed in Kampala should be removed and ensure that Kampala is filled with officers who have been working up country.
This has since culminated into the transfer of the over 300 officers. Ochola’s message issued out to all police stations and posts in Uganda which shows some of the transferred officers reads partly thus;
Under IMM G3/4/5/818 Words: 300 date 17th /12/2019 time 15Hrs
TO: UNITS (.)
INFORM: IGP (.)
DIGP (.)
CJS (.)
ALL DIRECTORS
REF: HRM 131/133/07/230/ TRANSFERS OTHER RANKS
The following personnel from the Directorate of traffic and Road safety are transferred with immediate effect:
