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Jinja residents want UPDF college relocated
CRIME SCENE: Residents claim that UPDF college has increased insecurity
Residents of Kimaka village in Mpumudde/Kimaka division, Jinja municipality have tasked authorities in government to quickly consider relocating the Senior Command and Staff College at Kimaka to another place in order to relieve them of worries.
Residents claim that cases of murder and mistreatment of locals by UPDF officers attached to this military training college have increased mayhem and insecurity in the area.
Last week, a section of locals staged a peaceful demonstration in an emergency meeting at Kimaka accusing UPDF officers of torturing and killing fellow residents under unclear circumstances.
The crisis meeting follows a tragic incident in which a soldier Pte Michael Stephen Ajuna attached to the neighbouring Gaddafi Barracks stormed a bar at Ambercourt Market in Kimaka and fired bullets randomly severely injuring four innocent people before shooting himself dead.
The victims are still admitted at Jinja regional referral Hospital in agony. The disgruntled locals say even officers attached to Senior Command and Staff College have for a long time been torturing the native local coupled with grabbing their land.
According to locals, senior officers have directed their juniors not to allow residents neighbouring the barracks to develop it claiming it belongs to the UPDF.
The land in dispute comprises two schools including Guardian Primary School and St Monica Girls Secondary School.
The Director St. Monica S.S and member of board Guardian Primary school Pastor Dan Muwanga of Kakindu based Rock Base Church, says soldiers need an isolated place if they would not continue killing and harassing innocent people.
“Senior army officers have since 2004 attempted and threatened to evict St Monica yet the college was established two years after the existence of the school in 2002 and we have a land title for that land” he said.
He insists that they are willing to cooperate and transfer the school from that army community if the government is ready and willing to compensate them, lest they take a legal battle against UPDF for trespass and illegally threatening to encroach on their land.
Efforts to seek a comment from officers at the senior command college were futile saying the issue was for the army spokesperson and legal team to respond.
When contacted, Jinja Deputy Resident District Commissioner Erick Sakwa asked residents to peacefully and calmly lodge their complaints to the relevant authorities for redress.
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