{UAH} Cost of containing Besigye escalates
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4:58 AM |
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The cost of maintaining a constant grip on Kizza Besigye, the former FDC presidential candidate whose "defiance" campaign the state looks determined to contain, is having its toll on the police's financial and other resources.
The latest departure of Col (rtd) Besigye, who left the country for the second time in one month on Monday, must have come as a relief to the police administration, which is experiencing a shortage of essentials such as fuel, a big chunk of which goes to operations linked to Besigye.
Indeed, less than 12 hours after he exited through Entebbe International airport, the tight security that had become a permanent fixture at his home in Kasangati and key road junctions in Kampala since October 3 was relaxed.
On October 3, Besigye was picked up by security officers as he disembarked from a Kenya Airways flight and whisked off to his home to prevent him from linking up with his supporters waiting along Entebbe road. That day marked the end of a one-month break from the routine of the police keeping an eye on Besigye and his supporters.
The former FDC leader had spent the month touring the US and Europe. During the one-month break, the police relaxed and could even afford to relocate from Kampala their crowd and riot control unit, the Field Force Unit.
However, with Besigye's return on October 3, men, equipment and money were mobilized again to contain the fiery politician whose "defiance" campaign is seen as a veiled attempt to overthrow the government through mass protests.
According to our source within the police, some of the activities that had already been scheduled were halted because resources had to be channeled towards keeping Besigye and his supporters in the city in check.
"When Dr Besigye was away, the force had been spending little in Kampala because few activities were carried out, but in the few days he has been in Kampala, a lot of resources have been used to control him," the source said.
FUEL SHORTAGE
It is perhaps no coincidence that The Daily Monitor reported on Monday that the police were experiencing a serious fuel shortage and quoted police chief Gen Kale Kayihura as advising his commanders to seek fuel from local communities.
According to the report, two major fuel suppliers stopped supplying because of accumulated arrears amounting to Shs 98 billion. Kayihura was also quoted
as saying that the police budget had been reduced by 15 percent, with the fuel budget in particular being slashed by 50 percent. After wages and food, fuel is the third biggest item on the police recurrent budget, according to Daily Monitor.
With Besigye now returning abroad, even if for a short while, the police can breathe a sigh of relief as Kampala returns to the pre-October 3 state in terms of police activity.
When we visited Besigye's home at Kasangati on Tuesday, there was no single policeman in sight. The usually-heavily- guarded place was deserted. At Kalerwe roundabout, which leads to Kasangati, the usual police presence complete with a Mamba (battle vehicle) was now conspicuously missing. The road to Gayaza was also free of the usual police presence whenever Besigye is around.
When this writer knocked at Besigye's gate, he was able to talk to people in the home unlike previous occasions when visitors were checked and registered or sent away.
The neighborhood, which is always under police siege when Besigye is here, with uniformed and plain clothes policemen camping in tents inside and outside his gate, had no trace of any of this on Tuesday.
1,000 LITRES
The Observer has been told by sources within the police that monitoring Besigye's every move comes at a big cost. For instance, the police reportedly use more than 1,000 litres of fuel in that operation daily.
"There are six standby big vehicles commonly known as Mambas, which are stationed in different parts of Kampala to be deployed in case Besigye causes chaos in the city and suburbs," the source said, adding that each Mamba consumes between 150 and 200 liters daily.
Two Mambas, according to the source, are parked at the Kalerwe roundabout, two at Central police station (CPS) and two at the Jinja road traffic lights.
In addition, the police allocates more than 10 patrol trucks to follow Besigye in case he refuses to follow a designated route.
"Every police station in Kampala Metropolitan has two standby patrols to carry personnel to follow Besigye and each patrol is given 40 liters daily," the source revealed.
Besides, there are more than 50 motorcycles, which patrol the city and its suburbs daily, and each is allocated 10 to 15 liters daily. If the police spend 1,000 liters per day, it is estimated that in a month Shs 87m goes to fuel alone, according to our source.
Fuel aside, about Shs 2m is spent every day on gathering intelligence on Besigye and other top FDC and opposition leaders. Both civilians and security officers in uniform and plain clothes are deployed to monitor Besigye's movements, and these are entitled to a daily stipend, another source told us.
Up to 500 intelligence officers are deployed in Kampala Metropolitan and each is paid between Shs 5,000 and Shs 20,000 daily, the source added.
"If Besigye moves daily for 30 days, the force spends more than Shs 70m on intelligence alone," the source said.
POLICE SPEAKS
Interviewed recently, Emilian Kayima, the Kampala Metropolitan police spokesman, acknowledged the challenge involved in keeping Besigye in check. He, however, added that the police are left with no option as they have to protect people and their property.
Kayima also clarified that it's not just Besigye but, rather, any kind of disturbance in Kampala necessarily causes the police's operational costs to soar.
"It is not that police resources increase on Besigye only but on any other emergency that occurs in Kampala," Kayima said.
While the police have to sleep with one eye open whenever Besigye is on his defiance mission, our sources indicate that many officers relish the operations because they come with added allowances.
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