Uganda police to maintain roadblocks outside city centre to trap offenders

Uganda Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga
Uganda Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga

Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Uganda Police has said it is going to maintain all roadblocks outside the city center in order to crackdown on motorists and pedestrians flouting COVID-19 rules.

Speaking at the Joint Security briefing at the Uganda Media Centre today, Fred Enanga, the spokesperson of the Uganda Police said that if they remove these check points, it would be hard to apprehend the COVID-19 regulations violators.

Ever since government allowed the resumption of movement of public and private vehicles, there has been unprecedented traffic jams especially at security check points. Because the road is half way closed, all the vehicles have to squeeze themselves in one lane to avoid tyre cutters.

Interestingly, most of the times the vehicles pass without any police officer stopping the motorists. In some instances, these roadblocks are not even manned by any security officer.

Meanwhile police announced that they arrested 106 motorcyclists and passengers last week from the Kampala Metropolitan Area for carrying passengers and traveling on boda bodas respectively against the presidential directive. The police also impounded 557 motorcycles which are currently being kept at different police stations.

“We are going to continue doing so because that’s the only way we are going to promote fear among the public to stop flouting the guidelines to protect the health of Ugandans,” said Enanga.

On the other hand, 238 people were arrested outside the Kampala metropolitan area for violating different restrictions such as religious group gatherings, moving beyond curfew times and carrying passengers among others. Enanga warned people against flouting these rules saying they will continue cracking down on the violators.

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Frank Baine, the spokesperson of the Uganda Prisons also said that over the weekend, prisoners were transferred from Kasangati prison to Kigo prisons for men and to Luzira prisons for women.

He said this was to enable the gazetting of Kasangati prison as an isolation center for new prisoners arrested in the Kampala Metropolitan area. Also gazetted for the same purpose is Kawuga prison in Mukono district.