UPDf Spokesman, Brigadier Karemeire Richard has commended the LDUS for the job well done in the fight against COVID 19 despite of the shortcomings they have faced. The Local Defense Units where recruited under directive from the President to help supplement security agencies to enforce law and order and fight sporadic crime especially in the urban centers.
The force has however seen under a lot of criticism in certain sections of the media for allegedly mishandling Ugandans while carrying out enforcement.
Brig. Karemeire while addressing the press in Mbarara representing the national joint taskforce said that,
LDUS are part of UPDF, they’ve done a great job. We recruited LDUs from the 80s to win the battle against Kony. We worked with LDUs in Karamoja to disarm them. In Kampala, they reduced killings and theft but there are those who do wrong & are arrested.
During enforcement of the directives, some of our soldiers were mistreated by the public. One of them lost an eye. We ask the public to acknowledge the good job they are doing in the fight against COVID 19.
Ministry of Health and President Kaguta Museveni have given our directives on how to deal with this pandemic. It’s for these guidelines that we have seen the achievements made. No one has died of #covid19UG & for those who tested positive, some have recovered.
It’s unfortunate that truck drivers were entering the country yet they have #Covid19Ug. Now they must have a certificate showing that they were tested and don’t have the virus.
On whether #covid19Ug results would have changed say from Kenya to Uganda of a truck driver, our experts will ensure that only those that are negative proceed. A certain Kenyan truck driver is alleged to have tested Negative in his homeland Kenya after tests in Uganda had shown that he was positive for the virus.
