Police spy unit disbanded due to indiscipline - Kayihura
The Special Branch department of the Uganda Police Force was disbanded because it was giving intelligence reports to wrong elements, the Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura (pictured) has revealed. File photo
Kampala. The Special Branch department of the Uganda Police Force was disbanded because it was giving intelligence reports to wrong elements, the Inspector General of Police has revealed.
Gen Kale Kayihura said the disbanded unit was paying more allegiance to foreign governments. “The Special Branch was quietly giving information to the West. I wouldn’t allow that. They were also involved in political intelligence,” Gen Kayihura told crime preventers in Kira Town Council at the weekend.
The Special Branch was disbanded around 2008 on allegation that it was duplicating the work of Internal Security Organisation. However, the unit is believed to be one of the best intelligence units the country has ever had. Since it was disbanded, the police are struggling to detect and prevent crime.
However, the police chief said “as long as he is still the Inspector General of Police, Special Branch will not be brought back”.
Gen Kayihura’s response came on the backdrop of a Daily Monitor story that questioned why the Special Branch that had the ability to track and collect intelligence on criminals was disbanded.
However, Gen Kayihura said Daily Monitor should know that the Special Branch was not very useful to the Force.
“It was more leaning to the minister of Internal Affairs than the police. Whatever information they collected, they would give it to the minister. In fact, Special Branch officials at district level were in the office of the Resident District Commissioner. Police wasn’t benefiting from them directly,” he said.
However, police are in talks with the Public Service ministry to allow them establish a new directorate that will be in charge of intelligence gathering and analysis.
