MP Omara urges parliament to raise salaries for lowly-ranked security personnel

Otuke County MP Paul Omara has raised a concern in Parliament, calling for a review of salary enhancements for security personnel (forces) with the rank of private.

He proposed that their monthly pay be raised to a minimum of shs1 million shillings, arguing that this would help the forces transition from a focus on hardware to overall welfare.

Omara made the remarks on Friday, April 24, 2026, while passionately urging Parliament to provide funds to support the recruitment of 18 police officers per sub-county. He noted that this initiative would help combat the rising levels of crime within local communities.

He said the directive to deploy 18 police officers per sub-county came from President Yoweri Museveni, who observed that many Ugandans continue to lose valuable assets, including cattle and household property, due to criminal elements within communities.

Omara stated that recently in the Lango sub-region, many villagers have been crying out against people who have turned to stealing livestock such as cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens.

According to him, these incidents are happening because the current number of police officers allocated per sub-county is insufficient to respond effectively as required.

Additionally, MP Omara told the House that crime rates in villages are rising daily due to the low number of police officers.

He noted that some areas have only 10 or even fewer officers. Another challenge, he added, is the lack of staff quarters and necessary equipment to carry out their work.

Two years ago, President Yoweri Museveni issued a strong directive that all sub-counties in the country must have between 18 and 20 police officers to reduce crime reports. He also called for the expansion of the sub-county policing model, including a canine unit.

Following the directive, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Byakagaba, moved to implement the president’s order and deployed police to all sub-counties, municipalities, and town councils.

The IGP stated that every sub-county, municipality, and town council would have a police station with 18 personnel to increase police presence and ensure security at lower levels of state administration.

The sub-county police stations are expected to have an Officer in Charge (OC), 12 general duty officers, one CID officer, one crime intelligence officer, one child and family protection officer, and one community liaison officer.

A total of shs2.5 trillion is required to fully implement the president’s directive, and the police have requested that this allocation be fully provided.