The State “reimposed” a night-time curfew starting last week and widened the powers of its military which has since taken over police role’s in Kampala suburbs and Wakiso District.
In a bid to curb the escalating criminality, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni had promised of a reinforcement of 40000 local defence Units (LDUs) which would support police in keeping law and order in Kampala and Wakiso Districts.
However the deployment of military personnel has aroused outrage among different sections of the public LDUs undergo training.
The resumption of night curfew has thrown a spanner in the works.
In the latest wave of military patrols, scores of night partiers have been subjected to harassment by mean-looking men in combat who storm bars past midnight and unleash ‘missiles of canes’ on crowds.
“Up to now we have not been told why these soldiers beat us every time they are passing on this boda boda stage,” a boda boda cyclist who asked not to be named told this website in Kisasi.
Wednesday Night Ordeal
TrumpetNews talked to a manager of a small bar at Ndundu stage in Kasasi town whose worker was hit with a baton and subsequently broke her arm when the military struck for the first time last week.
The curfew banned bars from operating past midnight with soldiers manhandling pedestrians, boda boda cyclists and roadside food vendors.
This website talked to the barmaid who suffered the wrath of gun, baton wielding military men. She however wished not to be named saying, “I wouldn’t want those men to look for me again.”
Recounting to this website, the barmaid said last week on Monday as she attended to her customers, she noticed unusual client who stormed the local hangout clad in combat.
“In my mind I knew this soldier had come to arrest one of my clients although I didn’t know who,” she said.
The unidentified soldier speaking in a loud threatening voice asked for the owner , “everyone pointed at me. At this moment my heart skipped.”
The military man without introducing himself questioned what time the bar closes.
The barmaid responded that it depends on the turn-up of clients.
“Ok I will surprise you,” the army man is quoted to have warned as he left. The customers were left in shock particularly debating his last words.
Two days later around midnight a police patrol truck carrying a number of soldiers stopped at Ndundu stage and the soldiers scattered to different hangouts clobbering whoever they met.
They rounded many pedestrians tortured them before whisking away to unknown destinations.
In this specific bar, while the barmaid tried to explain a soldier simply unleashed the baton which broke her arm.
She has since sought medical treatment and has been laid off.
The whole of last week, military patrolled the area and repeatedly caned and mistreated scores of partiers.
Until today the victims don’t know what crime they committed.
Army publicist Brig. Richard Karemire who earlier defended the military reinforcement in Kampala and Wakiso denied that the soldiers can go on rampage beating up civilians aimlessly.
He said he will forward the matter to relevant authorities for investigation.
Efforts to reach Military Police Commander Col. William Bainomugisha for a comment were unsuccessful by the time of filing this report.