Act now to stop the misuse of firearms

On Wednesday, January 8, we reported that a Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) soldier, Private Jacob Amali, has been arrested for allegedly shooting and killing his friend over a woman at a local bar in Kidilani Trading centre , Apac District. 

It is reported that Amali had been drinking with the victim and other friends at the bar before the fight broke out, subsequently leading to the shooting.

According to the North Kyoga Regional Police public relations officer, SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, this is the second murder by shooting registered in a space of one week in Apac District.

If there is one thing time has taught us, it is a fact that in Uganda, things happen, and people talk about them, if they have been in Kampala where the use of social media is high, people will post about them on X (formerly Twitter) and eventually, we move on with life.

The circle continues.

Yet, this should probably be when we discuss restricting people with firearms and reassessing them in as many departments. For instance, even when wellbeing and mental health have become major topics of conversation over the past few years; the state of Ugandan men and women in uniform and with guns is something that rarely comes to the fore.

If there is one thing that stuns many people who visit Uganda for the first time, it is the vast presence of guns on Ugandan streets. From a security guard to a policeman, there is always a gun in your face.

Not that in their countries security personnel do not have guns, they are rarely on display, and neither are they the first thing you see when you meet one. So, what is with our exaggerated arms display in malls, markets and recreational places?

Sometimes this defeats the image we try to sell as hospitable and friendly people, we present ourselves as people waiting for danger, which does not look good on us.

Yet, for locals, these guns are a threat, especially if people have to move with them into recreational places where after some joy drinking, their judgement will be in question.

Shouldn’t a soldier or a policeman be handing in their gun as they go about their private business, suppose they don’t cause trouble, but someone steals it?

It is clear Uganda needs to revisit its policies around firearms and those handling them. Police officers need to be retrained on what constitutes arrest, including when and how to arrest, the reasonable force to use on suspects, etc. 

A lot still needs to be done if we are to tackle the senseless use and abuse of arms in public spaces and probably homes. We should be thinking of doing this now before we are sorry later.