Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sam Omala speaks to journalists after standing surety for former Buyende District Police Commander, ASP Muhammad Kirumira (C) on February 22, 2018.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired) Sam Omala, 65, who rose to prominence during Opposition walk-to-work protests that started in April 2011, has died. ACP Omala, alias Musajja wa Kabaka (Buganda Kingdom subject), yesterday succumbed to prostate cancer.
This battle kept him in and out of Mulago National Referral Hospital for more than six months. Captain Mike Mukula, the chairman of Arrow Security Systems Ltd announced the death of ACP Omala, who was the firm’s deputy chief executive officer and the director of operations.
“We wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends…, especially the Inspector General of Police,” Capt Mukula said on his X, formerly Twitter, handle. Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke described ACP Omala as an officer who was courageous, dedicated and committed to his duty. ACP Omala was born in Senda, Kirewa Sub-county in Tororo District. While he was still in active police service, ACP Omala said he grew up in Buganda Sub-region where he also pursued his studies.
Former Buyende DPC Muhammad Kirumira shares a moment with friends led by Councillor Muhammad Ssegirinya (in red court) on February 22, 2018 after he (Kirumira) was released on bail by the police court. PHOTO/ MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
Not much of his educational background is known as he kept it as a secret to members of the public and his colleagues. He even refused to answer questions about his educational background while in court.
In September 2012, during the trial of Mr Muhammed Nsereko, the Member of Parliament for Kampala Central constituency, on allegations of assaulting a police officer at Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, defence lawyers asked ACP Omala, who was a State witness, about his education and career background, but he declined to respond.
The defence lawyers were led by Mr Erias Lukwago (now Lord Mayor of Kampala City). After failing to get answers from ACP Omala about his educational background and how he joined the police, the magistrate was forced to adjourn the case. Mr Omala never returned to court to testify.
According to former local government officials in the Greater Masaka region, they came to know Mr Omala while he was a fisherman based in Ssese Islands. His height, reasonable command of English, thirst for leadership, and love for enforcement made him an interesting person to the local government officials who then were employing security personnel attached to districts and sub-counties. In 1989, Omala dropped his oar for a gun. Local governments then selected disciplined people who had at least a Primary Leaving Examination certificate.
A veteran journalist with the Vision Group, who was based in Masaka District, said Omala was very active during operations to arrest defaulters of graduated tax at local level. While carrying out his duties in Masaka District, he interfaced with the Late Andrew Felix Kaweesi, who was then an administrator attached to Mr Vincent Ssempijja, the former Masaka District chairperson and former Defence minister.
Their contact would yield fruit many years to come when Kaweesi joined the police as a cadet and rose in rank. In 2000, the government absorbed local administration police officers from the Ministry of Local Government into the Uganda Police Force. Despite the low education levels of many of the Local Administration Police officers, they were allowed to retain their ranks. Uganda Police Force had to retrain them.
Omala was among those who joined Uganda Police Force. Given their limited educational background, several former LAP personnel were deployed in the police units that didn’t require them to participate in technical operations and services. Most of them were deployed in the Mobile Police Patrol Unit (MPPU), which was later renamed Field Force Unit.
Former Buyende DPC Mohammed Kirumira (RIP) is carried on arrival at his home in Gogonya, Bulenga in Wakiso District, after he was granted bail by police court on February 22, 2018. His colleague Sam Omala (second right) was one of his sureties. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
Omala was also deployed in the unit, which he silently worked in. Due to an increase in politically motivated civil disobedience incidents in urban areas, like Kampala City, in 2004, MPPU personnel were deployed to ensure that protesters didn’t disrupt city business.
After the 2006 General Election, protests led by Dr Kizza Besigye against the government increased, putting President Museveni’s leadership on the edge. In April 2011, Activists for Change (A4C) coordinated by Mr Mathias Mpuuga, currently Nyendo–Mukungwe MP, emerged on the scene protesting the rise of commodity prices and inflation that had hit the country after the polls.
Mr Mpuuga’s campaign dubbed “Walk-to-Work” united the Opposition and several members of the public. They protested inflation by walking from their homes to work. Dr Besigye, a member of the A4C, became the leader of the walk and attracted thousands of people who followed him from his home in Kasangati, Wakiso District, to Kampala City centre. The protests attracted crowds to the extent that the most feared police officer, Mr Grace Turyagumanawe, the then commander of Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP), was overwhelmed.
In August 2011, the then Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, appointed Kaweesi as the commander of KMP to deal with Walk-to-Work protesters since most of the ringleaders were from Greater Masaka and Buganda Sub-region. Kaweesi also found difficulties in dealing with the police command he found in KMP. He instituted a new team that had people he trusted including Omala, whom he had worked with in Masaka District. Then Assistant Superintendent of Police Omala was appointed Regional Operations Commander for Kampala Metropolitan Police North to ensure Dr Besigye doesn’t leave his home where he was under preventive arrest.
Kaweesi (RIP) later told this reporter that he chose Omala because of obedience and toughness. “Some people criticise Omala that he isn’t a good commander because he isn’t as educated as them. But he is better than many of those educated senior officers. Those senior officers would go into hiding whenever they were deployed to deal with A4C leaders.
Omala wasn’t afraid of anyone and he was always at the place he had been deployed,” Kaweesi said. Under Kaweesi’s command, Omala’s police career flourished. Omala vowed Dr Besigye wouldn’t beat his surveillance around his home and turn up in the city. “We will not sleep.
Dr Besigye will not leave his home until he denounces his plans. We will not even doze for even a minute. I swear he will not leave this house,” Omala said. Dr Besigye said he could leave his home if he so wished. On October 4, 2012, Omala was keeping guard around Dr Besigye’s home, when the Opposition politician turned up on Ben Kiwanuka Street in Kampala. This publication reached out to Omala after Dr Besigye had appeared in the city. He was so furious that he declined to comment.
Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sam Omalla. PHOTO/ FILE
Several years later, Omala told the media that it was one of the most embarrassing incidents in his police career.
“Gen Kayihura called him and asked me whether Dr Besigye was indeed at his home. I told him that we hadn’t allowed him. Then the IGP told me that Dr Besigye was on the street. I felt so embarrassed,” Omala recalled.
Dr Besigye was arrested and later taken back to his home, where he was kept under preventive arrest. In a year, Walk-to-Work protests had largely been subdued. Omala and other officers who had participated in quelling the protests were promoted by President Museveni.
President Museveni promoted Omala from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police to Senior Superintendent of Police, skipping the rank of Superintendent of Police. For an officer to skip a rank is a rare occurrence in the police. Only those that exhibit high standards skip ranks. By the end of 2014, protests in Kampala had largely disappeared, which made Omala partly redundant in the city.
On April 17, 2015, Omala was transferred to the east as the Field Force Unit deputy commander for Busoga and Masaba regions. The transfer from KMP to eastern Uganda annoyed Omala so much that he refused to report for duty for more than two weeks despite warnings from his superiors.
He accused the police of being ungrateful that they were pushing him out of the city which had been stabilised. However, he begrudgingly went to Busoga. On February 6, 2016, President Museveni again promoted him to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police. His stay in Busoga and Masaba region wasn’t easy. He was accused of election violence in the National Resistance Movement primaries against Ms Sarah Opendi, who was then a minister.
On June 6, 2016, he alongside his boss and six other senior officers were suspended by Gen Kayihura. Omala was angry with Ms Opendi whom he threatened with a court suit and damages of Shs300m. Police later sent Omala for a course to the Command and Staff College in Bwebajja, Wakiso District. According to Omala’s intake mates, the course was tough, especially for students who didn’t have a degree.
The course is largely about research and strategy. However, Omala was among those who passed the course. On April 21, 2017, he was sent to the Director of Welfare and Production for a special assignment. Omala liked his subordinates. For instance, when ASP Muhammed Kirumira had a case of extortion, unlawful exercise of authority and corruption in the police court in 2018, he turned up as Kirumira’s surety at the time every senior officer feared being close to an errant officer.
He was again transferred to Kampala as the KMP Field Force Unit commander. In March 2020, he retired from the police after turning 60 years of age. He found a job in the private sector, first as a security officer in a Chinese-owned company. Later, he joined a private security firm owned by Capt Mukula. He is survived by several wives, more than a dozen children and tens of grandchildren.
They say...
Capt Mike Mukula, Entrepreneur
Arrow security systems LTD with deep sorrow announce the death of our Director of Operations and Deputy CEO Sam Omala (RIP). He has... passed on ... after a long struggle with cancer. We wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends...Funeral arrangements will be announced later.
Michael I. Emoru, Entrepreneur
I remember him working with my dad, the late AIP Ariong JM, who was painfully killed in the #WalkToWork demos of March 2012 in Kla City. He served his Country, Uganda, with utmost Loyalty as a Police Officer, we shall always remember his good works.
Kituuma Rusoke, Police PRO
Your courage, dedication and commitment to duty inspired many. Rest in Peace ACP S. Omala
Asan Kasingye, retired policeman
I am sorry for the loss of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) retired Sam. Those who worked with him remember him as selfless, patriotic, and hardworking. He loved his family too and talked fondly about cultural interconnectivity with pride.
