Departed former Uganda Police spokesman Andrew Felix Kaweesi died 10 days ago while he left his home for work.
Unknown gunmen intercepted him a few metres from his gate and showered his car with bullets killing him instantly together with his driver Godfrey Mambewa and bodyguard Kenneth Erau.
At a time of his demise Kaweesi was Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP).
Normally when a police officer attains that rank, he is retired from police force and starts serving on contract (ceases to be a civil servant).
A police official at the same rank with the deceased who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity told TrumpetNews that normally it takes time, performance and experience for one to be elevated to AIGP.
“Usually an officer must have served for over 20 years,” a source said.
He mentioned the likes of Grace Turyagumanawe, Martin Okoth Ochola, new spokesman Asan Kasingye as some of the officers who got the title after serving more than two decades.
Kaweesi joined the Force in 2001 and was appointed AIGP in 2011.
There are some reports that he was groomed to take over from his boss Gen Kale Kayihura as Police head.
But his successor AIGP Asan Kasingye described the reports as sheer speculation.
Kasingye while speaking out on Kaweesi’s meteoric rise said, the fallen officer was “one out of ordinary.”
“It takes education, discipline, experience, skills, performance, integrity and proven character.”
Adding that Kaweesi hard all the above qualification: “Did you know that the deceased had 3 degrees, and 2 masters degree and also was student of National Defence College (NDC) in Nairobi,” Kasingye said.
“My friend the titles were not thrown unto him,” he said.
Asked why the was elevated at a short time yet there are police officers who have served more than 30 years but are yet to be appointed sergeants, Kasingye reminded us that CID director Grace Akullo joined police after Kaweesi but both were made AIGPs at the same time.
“In your newsroom aren’t there reporters who have worked for a decade but are yet to be appointed editors,” he asked
Adding that in every institution be it a school there is students who is favoured by nature and that is Andrew Felix Kaweesi.