Govt to Revoke Licenses for Non-Fingerprinted Guns-Defence Minister Mwesige

By Steven Ainganiza

The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs Adolf Mwesige says all individuals and private security companies that will not have fingerprinted firearms by end of the year 2019, will have licenses revoked.

“Persons who fail to beat the deadline will automatically lose possession of their license, and will subsequently be arrested for illegal possession of firearms,” the Minister said on Monday while addressing members of the Kabarole district security team at the district headquarters in Kitumba.

He revealed that the fingerprinting exercise which is already underway in some parts of the country is in line with the national security master plan issued by President Yoweri Museveni, for enhanced security in the wake of violent crime of recent.

Several prominent Ugandans among them former Police Spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi, Former Arua Municipality Legislator Ibrahim Abiriga and former Buyende District Police Commander Mohammad Kirumira among others were in the recent past gunned down by assassins moving on motorcycles.

According to Minister Mwesige fingerprinting of guns in private hands makes it easier for security to track down any of them used in criminality. Records at the Internal Affairs Ministry shared in 2017 indicated that more than 16,000 guns were in the hands of private security companies.

Mr Mwesige says the gun fingerprinting exercise is one of the action points announced by President Yoweri Museveni at the height of assassinations of both prominent and ordinary civilians by killers moving on motorcycles. He says the master plan also includes the installation of CCTV cameras in Kampala Metropolitan Policing Region, recruitment of Local Defence Units (LDUs) and converting crime preventers and dissolving them in security among other measures.

The Minister meanwhile asked the district security team to be security conscious in identifying people and NGOs coming in their areas, since some could harbor wrong aims.

The Kabarole district chairperson Richard Rwabuhinga commended the cooperation between the security committee and the district leadership, which he said has enabled the fight against cases of kidnap, theft of vehicle number plates and animals in the district.

Fingerprinting of guns is ongoing in the Kampala Metropolitan Policing region, Katonga, Greater Masaka, Rwizi, Kigezi, Rwenzori East, Rwenzori West, Wamala, Savannah, Albertine, North Kyoga, Kidepo, Mt Moroto, Siipi, Elgon, North Bukedi, Bukedi Region, Kiira and Busoga North among others.