The killing of Gen. Lokech and Museveni’s Police Problem

When Maj. Gen. Paul Lokech was named Deputy Inspector General of Police, he sought counsel from a source close to State House on how to approach his new role. “This isn’t a military issue,” says the author. It’s a political situation. That’s how you should go about it,” he was advised.

President Yoweri Museveni is in a pickle following the death of Gen. Lokech, a rising star in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), on August 21. This is due to his tumultuous relationship with the police, which he derides at will.

Due to the lack of a de facto IGP, the President may be forced to make a big choice on one of his government’s most crucial positions again shortly. With the recent series of homicides plaguing Masaka, Lokech’s death makes security even more susceptible.

Following the death of Gen. Lokech, one of the most striking things was Museveni’s silence on the subject. After Lokech’s body was placed into the ground, Museveni issued a statement. Lokech was eulogized by the Commander-in-Chief, who noted that when he joined the army, he aided in operations against Alice Lakwena, a rebel leader stationed in northern Uganda.

As the President stewed over the situation, attention was turned once more to the Uganda Police Force, whose leadership has been thrown into disarray yet again. Martins Okoth Ochola, the IGP, is a veteran police officer who understands his role in Museveni’s security system. Ochola was appointed in March 2018, and his deputy was Brig. Sabiiti Muzeyi.

For a few months, Ochola appeared to be in charge, until Sabiiti began making important decisions within the force.

In December 2020, Lokech took over from Maj. Gen Sabiiti, and for many, Lokech was the man in charge of the Uganda Police Force. Lokech had made broad transfers the day before he died, affecting top officers up to the rank of Commissioner of Police. Senior officers, such as Regional Police Commanders, were also affected.

According to a military source acquainted with the Police’s operations, the transfers were reversed mere hours after Lokech died. By the sixth day, no official above the rank of Director had visited Lokech’s home to express condolences to his family, according to the source.

The unexpected death of Lokech after only eight months in office forces Museveni to rethink his strategy. Observers have been perplexed by the President’s icy relationship with the police.

Museveni, on the other hand, has for a long time relied on the police to keep him alive. Whether it’s quelling large demonstrations or restraining obstinate opponents, the 76-year-old leader’s most powerful instrument has always been the police. The brief given to Lokech by Museveni when he was appointed to the Police Force was clear: squash any sprinkling of trouble that appeared.

Gen. Lokech took the seat of Gen. Sabiiti Muzeyi during a politically charged period in Uganda. Museveni was irritated with Sabiiti’s handling of the November 2020 protests, during which over 60 Ugandans were shot and killed by the police.

Museveni’s attitude was perplexing considering police have a history of killing protesters when dispersing them.

Hundreds of people were killed in the November protests, according to some estimates. This occurred during the presidential campaign of opposition leader Bobi Wine, who was challenging Museveni’s 35-year rule.

Unrest erupted across Uganda following the arrest of presidential contender Bobi Wine in Luuka, eastern Uganda, on suspicion of violating covid19 standards while campaigning.

Protests erupted in Kampala, with tens of thousands of outraged teenagers staging rallies that brought the city to a halt. According to some sources, Sabiiti, in collaboration with the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), decapitated the informal structures put in place by former Police boss Gen. Kale Kayihura, allowing angry urban and dissatisfied youth to be mobilized into wildfire protests.

However, regardless of who was in charge of the police and what techniques they used, the arrest of Bobi Wine, who was running an unlikely presidential campaign with a massive following, was bound to spark a flurry of protests.