The post-Kayihura era in the Uganda Police Force is beginning to take shape after the new Inspector General of Police Martin Okoth-Ochola merged some directorates and dismantled some units created by his predecessor in a bid to streamline service delivery and reporting lines.
Among the changes, which Mr Ochola announced on Monday, is the reconstituting of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Crime Intelligence (CID). The directorate will resumevsupervising the Flying Squad Unit (FSU). FSU, which is headed by Herbert Muhangi, had been moved away from CID headed by Grace Akullo, rendering the latter ineffective.
Ms Grace Akullo (Left) will resume command over Herbert Muhangi’s (Right) Flying Squad Unit
Police sources said the move is aimed at instilling discipline in the unit, which some senior police figures say has had some of its officers implicated in robbery, extortion and bribery cases.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the Criminal Case File Tracking Task Force (CCTF) and Surveillance and Special Operations will also be supervised by CID.
The IGP has also created a Division of Oil and Gas by merging the directorates of Oil and Gas and Counter Terrorism.
The Directorate of Operations will also superintend over the Territorial Police Command (Region and District/Division) snd the specialised units (ASTU, Canine, Police Air wing, Railway Police, Environmental Protection Police, Marine, Agricultural Police, Mineral Protection Police, Presidential Protection Group).
Cyber Crime Unit was also reverted to the Directorate of Forensic Services.
The move comes after Mr Ochola transferred 23 senior police officers in what is seen as an attempt to uproot loyalists to former police chief Kayihura and stamp his own authority on the Force.
In a police message issued on Monday evening, Mr Okoth-Ochola moved senior officers at the ranks of Assistant Inspector General of Police, Senior Commissioner of Police, Commissioner of Police, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Senior Superintendent of Police and Senior Commissioner of Police.
