Have you ever wondered how much Gen. Kale Kayihura’s Police Force spends on wages every month?
Have you ever wondered why four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye will still be the teargas president of Africa in 2017?
Well, the Uganda Police Force has tabled its 2017/18 Financial Year budget in which it intends to spend Shs505 billion.
Of this half-a-trillion shillings budget, Shs44 billion has been earmarked to procure teargas to control Ugandans—opposition politicians, students, and regular citizens by dispersing them with tear gas. The Force used Shs15 billion to buy teargas in 2014 and last year jumped to Shs28 billion yet failed to pay suppliers of basic foodstuffs in that financial year.
This information was revealed in the Budget Framework Paper presented to Parliament yesterday by police undersecretary Rogers Muhiirwa.
The teargas budget allocation is way higher than what is allocated for the fire department — Shs58.4 billion yet for many years now, the country has been wrecked by arsonists and unnecessary fires in markets, homes and cultural installations.
Further more, Shs70.1 billion is allocated for transport, Shs33.3 billion on crime prevention, Shs12.8 billion on counter terrorism and Shs6.7 billion for Interpol while police will spend only Shs166.75 billion on welfare among other expenditures.
READ: Uganda Police bosses will misuse sh506b budget – Judith Nabakooba
The huge expenditure has come under strong parliamentary criticism with legislators arguing that the cost of public order management, both in terms of resources and time, has been increasing over time. They are also calling for less-costly policing and advocates for an inquest into the numerous demonstrations and the country’s politics.
By Moses K Mugalu
