UGANDA: Museveni's tourism has no room for ugly people (PHOTOS)

MUSEVENI'S TOURISM POLICE HAS NO ROOM FOR UGLY PERSONNEL

By CHANGE OF GUARDS

“We need to make tourists comfortable ..........it’s also true that if you come in as a tourist and you are not Ugandan; and you see too many guns and uniforms and hard looking people, it can scare you.  We should handle this; to see if it means putting some nice smiling people, both men and women especially at the entry points; at airports and lodges.”

Susan Muhweezi - addressing a tourism stakeholders workshop around late December 2018.

On February 28, 2012 Museveni launched the fist 120 man contingent of his Tourism Police.  It has been gradually expanding and currently stands at 1,000 yet the regime claims it needs a total of 5,000 for effectiveness.  It is part of the dreaded Counter Terrorism Police.  It is mandated to provide security to the entire tourism industry amidst threats of terrorism.  It is supposed to secure all tourism cites and destinations throughout the country.  Airports, immigration points, hotels, lodges, tented camps, national parks, game reserves,  highway routes for tourists, etc.

During a late December 2018 tourism stakeholders engagement in Kampala, the Tourism Police and security agencies in general were urged to tone down the level of threatening weaponry.

"The men and women manning security points, right from the airport through the various entry points in the tourism sector are just too armed, and too mean-looking for some tourists.  They are simply hard-looking, and they cause discomfort to our tourists,”

They were further urged to put on a smiling face when they come face to face with foreign tourists.  It was also pointed out that some other tourists don't want to see anything like weapons.  Addressing the same workshop, the Chairperson of Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), Susan Muheezi suggested selective deployment of the beautful and handsome officers with a friendly and attractive smile for tourists.

In response, the Commandant of the Tourism Police, Frank Mwesigwa jusfied the level of armament, dark black uniform and other combative gear.  However, he only promised to make some adjustments on the colour of uniform.

The creation of the now counter productive Tourism Police was part of the wider scheme by Museveni to create a police state.  The move fits into his agenda of militarising every sector.  His fire brgade management style dictates that he creates new laws and security agencies whenever he faces a challenge; real or Imagined.  We have the Revenue Police, Traffic Police, VIP Police, Events Police, Land Police, Fisheries Police, Environmental Police, Counter Terrorism Police, Highway Patrol Police, the Anti- stock Theft Police, Election Police, Chinese Protection Police, Aviation Police,  Examination Police etc.  It is only Ugandans who have no police.

At cabinet level, out of his 80 Ministers you find the Minister for Northern Uganda, the Minister for Teso Affairs, Minister for Kampala,  Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Minister for Luweero, Minister for Bunyoro Affairs etc.  At parliament, out of his 380 M.Ps you find the representatives of the army, the disabled, the Youth, the workers, the women etc.

Let alone the 163 Presidential Advisors many of whom have never even met him.

Therefore, the creation of the so-called Tourism Police was part and parcel of Museveni's opportunistic proliferation of government agencies.  Like is the case with other sectors that have been infested with the security, the tourism sector stakeholders must also be silently suffering extortion, blackmail, huge maintenance costs, outright thefts etc.

The Security forces have been behind heinous crime in the immigration, revenue collection, wildlife, forestry, fisheries and other sectors. It is only that the tourism stakeholders are fearing to air out their graviances, the damage must be more than mere physical looks of the security personnel.

Guess who will be the ugly and fierce-looking victims to be eliminated and who will be the smiley and nice looking to be retained.  Let the former category concentrate on handling oppositions protesters and scaring ordinary Ugandans.  Already, Omoding was recently replaced by Mwesigwa and that will be the trend.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM.