Any police officer who deliberately refuses to protect a member of parliament now faces the risk of unspecified action being taken against him or her, authorities have warned.

The warning follows reports that a number of police personnel are absconding from bodyguard duties, citing poor treatment by MPs they were assigned to protect.

But even as the warning was being sounded days ago, some MPs observed that close protection officers are not the answer — given the rising wave of insecurity sweeping through the country.

Deputy police spokesman Patrick Onyango told The Observer last week,  “If anybody withdraws from guarding the principals they are supposed to guard, the unit commanders are supposed to take action against them”.

“An officer when going on duty is supposed to prepare so as they are guarding the MPs, they should be prepared with all the necessary equipment and logistics. Logistics means food,” he said.

“In police training schools, there is a whole topic on officers’ survival skills; how do you survive in an environment? So, they should go back to the basic lessons they were taught at the training school; they know they are supposed to be equipped for whatever condition.”

Onyango was responding to reports coming out of a June 28 security briefing between MPs and President Museveni. At this meeting, the president reportedly warned that whoever refused to work with MPs would be sacked.

The police publicist also said that the top management of different security agencies will come up with appropriate measures to enhance MPs’ security.

The briefing held in the prime minister’s office ended with Museveni directing that MPs be assigned military guards after learning that police personnel were absconding over lack of facilitation, among other reasons.

Interviewed separately, one guard said: “You see some of our people [MPs] go to expensive places to shop or eat. You are guarding them and you can’t go elsewhere to buy yourself something to eat. Even at their homes, they don’t care whether you have eaten or not. Some of them can’t even buy water for a person guarding them; how do you continue with such work?”

“Many of our colleagues are suffering with the MPs they guard. Some of them have requested to be redeployed because they find it very hard spending most of their time with selfish people,” the officer said.

Museveni also directed the chief of defence forces, Gen David Muhoozi, to liaise with the Parliament Division Police commander Anabella Nyiramahoro to enhance MPs’ security.

On June 20, The Observer reported that Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa, state minister for Privatization Evelyn Anite, MPs; Raphael Magyezi (Igara West), Jacob Oboth-Oboth (West Budama South), Grace Balyeku (Jinja Municipality West), Simeo Nsubuga (Kassanda South), Peter Ogwang (Usuk) and Doreen Amule (Amolatar) had had their security beefed up by soldiers from the Special Forces Command, an elite presidential protection formation.

Aringa South MP Alioni Yorke Odria informed the president that his colleagues were living in fear over purported death threats sent through text messages and social media.

Alioni’s concern echoed what Usuk MP Peter Ogwang said during the burial of Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga on June 11. A vociferous supporter of the ‘age limit bill’, Abiriga was shot dead on June 8.

Obongi MP Hassan Kaps Fungaroo last week confirmed these MPs’ fears and reservations about the usefulness of riding in the same car with their guards.

“MPs admitted that they are living in a state of fear. Even those given security by the president said police are running away. That the [police] say instead of escorting MPs, they better stay at home because escorting an MP is a very risky business for them,” he said.

“The president said they shall make a provision for  separate vehicles for the escorts which means there are going to be over 452 escort vehicles loaded with soldiers and police because the police feel that they cannot protect the MP properly when they are in the same vehicle,” Fungaroo said.

A slightly different account of this proposal was given by the secretary of the ruling party’s parliamentary caucus, Joseph Kasozi Muyomba (Bukoto Mid-West), who said it was agreed the National Security Council would decide the issue of separate vehicles.

“Because if you are together with the guards in the same vehicle, you are all vulnerable; so, it will be either to have a separate vehicle behind or ahead. But it will be for a short time, like four to five months, due to the difficulty in mobilising logistics to facilitate the guards,” Kasozi said.

“There were reports that police escorts were in fear so the president ordered that the police can be withdrawn from those who feel they should be guarded by the army… But it’s not mandatory that all MPs will have soldiers guarding them,” Kasozi added. 

Separately, some MPs have criticized the push for military guards and separate vehicles.

Ruhinda representative Donozio Kahonda, who supported the bill, said: “…when I was campaigning, I never had any security, why should I go now to my constituency with guards, for what? I am aware there is insecurity in the country but having them is insecurity whereby even somebody who didn’t have interest in knowing who is having escorts will target you.”