Event organisers want security fees reduced
Local artiste Bobi Wine gives his view yesterday during the Uganda Artistes and Event Managers meeting with police chiefs on how to secure events from terror attacks in Kampala. PHOTO by JOSEPH KIGGUNDU.
KAMPALA- Event organisers have attributed security laxity at events to the high charges police commanders ask for to provide security at entertainment events.
The organisers, who were meeting police chiefs in Kampala yesterday, on how to secure their events from terrorists, said they are forced to avoid terror guidelines due to high fees asked by the police.
Mr Andrew Benon Kibuuka, the president of Federation of Performing Artistes, said the police charges were too high and were forcing event managers to compromise security by avoiding them.
“You organise an event of 400 people and you are expecting a turnover of about Shs2m, but the police will ask for Shs800,000 for security fees. This means that the artistes and managers will not get any profits. We need to revise these charges,” Mr Kibuuka said.
Police charge money to facilitate officers manning the event, but they neither show standards they use to arrive at the amount nor provide receipts to the event managers.
Although each officer is entitled to at least Shs10,000 for providing security at an event, many don’t get the money.
“Police officers ask for money for the patrol car, traffic, sniffer dogs and walkthrough,” Mr Kibuuka said.
After Kampala Metropolitan Police commander Andrew Felix Kaweesi conceding to have also received such complaints, he ordered the event managers to pay the officers themselves other than giving the money to commanders.
“Involve the police in the initial stage of planning so that they can provide you with the list of the officers who will be deployed at event. Then the payment of the officers should be done directly by the managers after the event,” Mr Kaweesi said.
Uganda is on alert after a warning from the local American embassy that the country was at risk of being attacked by terrorists.
The American embassy recently warned that terrorists planned a “Westgate-style attack” on Uganda’s capital Kampala.
The Uganda police, following the warning issued a statement to the public saying: “We encourage you to stay alert and watch each other’s steps and activities as we are still threatened by terror.”
Security has been tightened at public places.
