The Minister of State for Internal Affairs,Gen David Muhoozi has described the practice of the Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force (JATT) covering their faces with hoods as “unacceptable.”
Muhoozi stated that law enforcement officers are required to be identifiable while on duty.
He made these remarks during his appearance before Parliament’s Defence and Internal Affairs Committee, where he was responding to concerns raised by Members of Parliament.
Abdallah Kiwanuka, the Member of Parliament for Mukono North, had asked the government to clarify whether the security forces had adopted a new dress code involving the covering of the entire face with hoods.
“Your communication and your stand towards these people who battered Ugandans and police officers who mask themselves, hiding their identity, you have been so low and we have not heard your communication and stand towards that. Why are they hiding? Is it part of the directives you give to them to hide their identity,” Kiwanuka asked.
In response, Minister Muhoozi emphasized that it is unacceptable for law enforcement officers to conceal their identities while on duty.
“It isn’t acceptable, if you are enforcing the law, you must be properly identified and we said we have rules of engagements, booklets written to officers, so I think we shouldn’t tire in our quest to ensure that we enforce the law and we enforce it according to the dictates of enforcement,” he said.
Muhoozi’s statement highlights the importance of ensuring that law enforcement officers adhere to established rules and remain identifiable while carrying out their duties.
For the past two weeks, Ugandans have been questioning the nature and operations of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT).
Among the many questions raised, one of the key concerns has been why the officers cover their faces while on duty if their intentions are truly good.
Recently, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, publicly defended the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) on his X (formerly Twitter) page, affirming that they are an integral part of Uganda’s security forces.
“Who are they?? They are Ugandan Security and they are doing a great job,” he said on X.
