By Mulengera Reporters
A few days ago, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba belligerently posted something unflattering against newly reappointed CID Dieector Dr. Tom Magambo accusing him of carrying out arrests of people he didn’t name while hiding behind the name of the President.
Renowned for taking no prisoners, Gen MK who is also CDF and was always thought to have a good relationship with the CID Chief (as it ought to be) vowed to arrest Magambo himself too one of these days.
It has a remained a question which no one has managed to give conclusive answers to as of now-thus far.
Many were intrigued by MK’s declaration of unprovoked hostilities because the X rant came at a time when there was growing consensus that Magambo was doing a good job and belief that his contract renewal by the c-i-c for another two years was merited and well deserved.
Persistent reports in especially the state media namely the Vision Group, managed by MK’s personal friend Don Wanyama, had depicted Magambo as a performer who in such a short time had turned round CID, from an obscure, inefficiency and corruption-riddled department of Police into one that is more efficient, less corrupt and more responsive to the expectations of the Ugandan people who are entitled to living under a crime-free society to which CID is mandated to contribute.
There has also been a lot of digitization deliberately aimed at strengthening the CID’s capability to contend with modern crime challenges. Gen MK’s bashing was also preceded with public praises by his father the President who, for the first time since coming to power in 1986, visited CID headquarters Kibuli and praised Magambo, an holder of an Executive MBA, for the conspicuous transformation.
Indeed, since becoming CID overall boss or Director in early 2022, Dr. Magambo deliberately prioritized mindset change, team building and training all aimed at re-orienting the CID officers and men whose new attitude and approach to work has resulted into Ugandans becoming safer and better protected in the context of contemporary policing challenges such as terrorism, cybercrime and violent crime etc.
Magambo also ensured regular transfers of the more than 4,000 CID detectives and investigators contrary to pre-2022 period when officers and men would stay put at one station for an eternity without ever being rotated to other stations, which in itself potentially bred corruption and inefficiency.
By being able to overhaul CID and give the headquarters a facelift and get the President to come around, Magambo managed to raise self-esteem of his officers and men whose transformation and new approach to work the President has publicly been testifying about.
Yet the Dr. Magambo-led CID transformation has won praise of not only Gen Museveni but several other superiors including his line Minister Gen Kahinda Otafiire and the IGP Abbas Byakagaba.
The trio has publicly praised Dr. Magambo and privately must have felt intrigued to learn about the haranguing by Gen MK. The IGP says the CID has become the face of Police with Magambo having re-established the department as a model of policing excellence.
There has also been validation of Magambo’s work too even beyond Uganda. Not very long ago, reputable research organisation Kenya Trak ranked them 3rd best on the African continent. The Ugandan CID was scored at 74% only trailing behind the one of Kenya at 82% and the Ghananian one at 76%.
The report took note of the fact that the efficiency-enhancing reforms by Magambo had pushed the Ugandan CID to become better capacitated to investigate and combat violent crime, insurgencies, organised crime and terrorism etc.
That the more than 4,000 officers and men Dr. Magambo leads had been able to leverage ICTs and automation to engage in more effective intelligence gathering against criminals than had ever been the case. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
