Police to guard tourist hangouts

What you need to know:

  • Deployed. Counter Terrorism officers are now manning entrances of many entertainment centres in key suburbs such as Kololo.

Kampala. Tourism Police has been ordered to guard popular city hangouts and hotels that are common destinations for foreign tourists and high profile people following the terror attack on a Kenya hotel last week.
Tourism Police is a unit under the Counter Terrorism Directorate and has been focusing on protecting tourist sites such as national parks.
The deputy spokesman for Kampala Metropolitan Police, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, said both uniformed and covert Tourism Police officers are now present at many of the common hangouts in various city suburbs that host big numbers of tourists.
“Tourism Police has taken over the security of all these spots where tourists hang around to ensure that they aren’t targeted by terrorists. People who frequent these areas should cooperate with both uniformed and non-uniformed officers when asked anything,” Mr Owoyesigyire said yesterday.
On Tuesday, al-Shabaab terrorists armed with automatic rifles and explosives struck DusitD2 Hotel and business complex in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, killing 21 people, including tourists, and injuring scores of others.
Al-shabaab, a terror group in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The same group carried out twin terror attacks in Uganda’s capital Kampala in July 2010, claiming lives of over 76 people and injuring dozens of others who were watching the World Cup finals at Ethiopian Village Restaurant in Kabalagala and Kyadondo Rugby Club at Lugogo.

Background
Last week’s Nairobi attack prompted Uganda’s Director for Counter Terrorism Abbas Byakagaba to issue a terror alert.
At the weekend, Counter Terrorism officers were seen at entrances of many entertainment centres in key suburbs such as Kololo. Most of these centres have been hiring officers from the police general duties department to back up their private security guards. Majority of the officers from the General Duties do not have Counter Terrorism training.
The cost of the new police deployments will not be shifted onto the owners of the entertainment centres.
The Tourism Sector is important to Uganda’s economy since it contributes about $1.5b (about Shs5 trillion), which is 24 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings annually.
Mr Owoyesigyire said police are also engaging private security firms that protect tourist entertainment places to increase guard deployment and capabilities.
He said police will also use CCTV cameras and more officers to monitor other areas of the city.