Former CID Boss Elizabeth Kuteesa To Probe Police Over Kasese ADF School Attack
President Museveni has directed former Director of Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) boss Elizabeth Kuteesa to probe into the police’s response to the attack on Lhubiriha Secondary School in Kasese.
“I direct Elizabeth Kutesa, my Police advisor, to investigate and report in three weeks,” Museveni said on Thursday night.
In his national address on Uganda’s security situation, Museveni singled out Hon. Florence Kabugho, (FDC, Kasese District) who had earlier told Parliament that the government was dishonest in its report on the Kasese attack and demanded the whereabouts of the security officers at the time of the attack.
“I saw somebody called Kabugho saying that the police had taken a long time to respond, it is possible and likely because they were standing down (not alert): not dressed up, maybe, many of them off duty,” Museveni added.
The development comes after lawmakers from Kasese demanded an explanation for the absence of security personnel during the June 16 attack in which 37 students and seven others were killed by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters.
The Kasese school attack attracted global condemnation, with Pope Francis describing it as brutal.
The attack raised concerns about the security forces’ ability to detect, deter or even respond to terror attacks.
Museveni said in his Executive Order Number 3 of 2023 and in an earlier directive of 19th May, 2023, he had ordered the putting in place of police units of 18 persons per Sub – county, with some motor-cycles to help them respond to calls of distress anywhere in the Sub–County.
“I thought of the Number 18, because I wanted 12 to be regular armed police and, then, the other 6 would provide the CID etc. The 12, could be organised into squads of 4 each. One of these squads to be on standby, ready to move immediately to the area of need. They should be fully dressed, guns in hand, motorcycles fueled, ready to move any moment. This solves two problems,” said Museveni.
“Number one, they guard the police station so that you do not have situations where a police station is attacked by surprise because everybody was standing down (not ready). Secondly, they are ready to move out to respond without loss of time,” he added.
“Another squad should, immediately, come out to guard the station while the 3rd squad is resting (sleeping). They change every 8 hours. I saw somebody called Kabugho saying that the police had taken long to respond. It is possible and likely, because they were standing down (not alert): not dressed up, maybe, many of them off duty.”
Kutesa previously served as CID director and also headed the National Central Bureau and Regional Police Services (NRPS) unit of the International Police (Interpol).
In 2006, Kuteesa, who was at the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police, was seconded by the Uganda government to work with Interpol.
In 2007 Kuteesa served at Interpol as Assistant Director for the Africa region.
She also held a range of positions with the Ugandan Police including Officer in Charge of the Anti-Narcotics Squad at CID Headquarters.
