The recruitment drive of a reserve force Local Defence Unit (LDU) in Kampala and Wakiso as announced by President Yoweri Yoweri Kaguta Museveni hasn’t yet kicked off, the army has clarified.
The development follows reports circulating around Kampala city that the UPDF establishment and its sister security agencies had started registering potential recruits who will be taken for training soon.
Brig. Richard Karemire, the army publicist told this website on Thursday afternoon that the recruitment exercise by security forces involves among others vetting of these rookies before they are sieved to embark on a sophisticated training.
“The recruitment of LDU following the call up the President has not started.No one should be deceived at the moment by anyone on this matter.Leaders of security forces will steadily vet prospective candidates when recruitment begins in order to get the best,” said Karemire adding that the army has learnt of reports that there are fraudsters in the city who conning and soliciting money from members of the public who are interested in joining LDU.
“But security will deal with these smart conmen.”
As to why UPDF is in charge of LDU recruitment not police, Karemire said this is an auxiliary force which technically falls under UPDF.
“After we have trained them, then we will look at the operational aspect which will have been developed then,” he explained.
The Commander in Chief of UPDF on Sunday while articulating measures designed to combat the spiraling criminality in both Kampala and Wakiso districts said security forces had agreed the resumption of LDU which had been existing sometime back but later disbanded.
Government resolved to disband this unit on grounds that its armed men had orchestrated crimes against civilians across the country.
As to whether the re-introduction of LDU implies that the existing security apparatus has failed to protect Ugandans, Brig. Karemire admits that there security lapses which require to be plugged.
“This is an interim measure. But the longer strategy to fight crime was presented to parliament by our Commander in Chief. And we still following that course,” Karemire said.
This year alone, three prominent Ugandans; Ibrahim Abiriga a lawmaker, Muhammad Kirumira a senior police officer and Susan Magara a daughter of a wealthy businessman were grisly assassinated.
Their killers remain at large.
Also over 20 women had previously been murdered in Entebbe and Wakiso towns.
Security is yet to arrest perpetrators of these heinous crimes.
The murders have compelled the public, civil society activists and opposition politicians to rap the regime for failing to protect the people of Uganda as it mandated to.
But Karemire is optimistic the robust strategies laid out will curb criminality in Kampala and neighbouring towns.
