Unknown to the public, the ills that bedevilled the police were partly caused by the government – intended to tarnish the police. To make it look beyond redemption except with the help of the army. It worked.
The public supported the president’s appointments until it became obvious that police had not improved technically but had become a political tool used to settle political scores especially during the reign of General Kale Kayihura.
Now the services of the army and police are merged with the latter taking the lead. The President then also felt uncomfortable working with the judiciary, which he constantly referred to as UPCists (meaning it still had elements who favoured deposed Uganda People’s Congress president Milton Obote because most of the judges had been appointed by him).
He believed in Resistance courts and army division court martials to try criminal cases. Now, the ministry of Internal Affairs under which police falls, is fully controlled by military men.
The minister of Internal affairs is Major General Kahinda Otafiire while the minister of state is General David Muhoozi, the former chief of defence force (CDF). The permanent secretary is Lt. Gen Joseph Musanyufu. The directorate of citizenship and immigration is headed by Major General Gowa Kasita.
With the promulgation of the 1995 Constitution, most of the things that had prevailed under the legal notice had to be abandoned. Even then, President Museveni ensured that the military plays a role in every sector. They are represented in Parliament.
And there are two still serving officers in cabinet, General Katumba Wamala who is the minister of Works and General David Muhoozi. Col. Edith Nakalema was appointed to head the controversial office of State House anti-corruption unit. This unit has a wide mandate though unconstitutional.
The president ensured that the UPDF Act is amended and given powers to try civilians involved in crimes of a military nature. The constitution court has declared that it’s unconstitutional for the General Court Martial to try civilians and the Attorney General has appealed this ruling in the Supreme Court, pending decision.
In 2014 President Museveni declared that National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) had disappointed him. As a remedy, the President decreed that the military would take on a leadership role of NAADS.
NAADS was restructured and Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) was launched. This is headed by General Salim Saleh and deputized by Maj. Gen Sam Kavuma. The district branches are all headed by military men. These military men only have certificates in Agriculture, which were attained after an induction course by Makerere University Agricultural College.
The creation of OWC displaced many non-military professionals in the sector. Now the ministry of Defence is sponsoring a bill, which would require the head of fisheries department to be a UPDF officer.
They claim that some of the fishing activities on the lake need the supervision of UPDF because they verge on criminality. Already the UPDF has been involved in the enforcement of fishing standards on all lakes. There have been terrible reports of human rights abuse and property grabbing by the soldiers.
There are several questions that arise out of this subtle militarization of public service! Is the military the best institution to handle the promises of the ruling party? What special skills do the army officers have that seasoned civil servants don’t have?
Why does the president blatantly disregard the constitution and amplify the military as the superior organisation that can organise society better. The answer may lie in the politics of patronage and political expedience.