Housing units nearly complete at Naguru
As the construction of 1,020 modern housing units at Naguru police headquarters nears completion, police leadership has reminded all its personnel that fall under the senior officers’ category not to waste time eyeing the apartments as none of them will be allowed to occupy them.
The reminder comes amidst fears that the long-awaited houses are going to be turned into residences for senior officers and others become offices for various directorates including specialized units.
But the acting Chief Political Commissar, SCP Hadijah Namutebi, describes the rumour that the housing units have been designated for seniors offices as propaganda whose motive is not yet established.
Namutebi maintains that any police officer even if one who was promoted yesterday but falls in the senior category will not be allowed “even to place anything on the veranda” of the units because they are meant for junior officers.
A senior officer in the Uganda Police Force is one at or above the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police –ASP, up to the highest rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police –AIGP. Namutebi explains that only Inspectors of Police (IPs) and below will be allowed to occupy the houses.
A rumour started circulating in September this year and it has persisted that some of the housing units have already been occupied by offices for Minerals Police Protection Unit –MPPU, Information Communication Technology –ICT and Counter-Terrorism.
But Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, refutes the allegations saying it is intended to smear the success stories that police have achieved.
Our reporter visited the houses and realized that each of the structures contains at least 60 units. The virtually completed buildings contain more than 500 units. The painting and tiling of other structure is ongoing and expected to be completed by end of this year.
Away from the structures that one would say are almost complete, foundations for other structures have been dug excavated.
It is a beehive of activity inside the fenced construction area as groups of various people are assigned to do various works that range from painting, tiling, plastering and foundation construction.
In response to the question on who will be considered fit to occupy the housing units, Namutebi said first of all police officers of lower ranks should know all cannot not be accommodated in the new buildings.
She explained that a housing committee will come up with the criteria to be followed in choosing who qualifies to be accommodated in the units.
Police say over 12,000 of the workforce serve and reside in Kampala metropolitan area that covers Kampala City, Wakiso, Mukono and part of Mpigi district.
Therefore, the 1,020 units even if they were all completed today they cannot accommodate such big numbers.
Each unit has a living room, and two bedrooms that is for a married police officer and their family members like children.
The lucky police officers will be allowed to come in with their families because, police says, if the families are not allowed, it means the beneficiaries are likely to abandon them in order to stay with their children, or spouses.
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