NATIONAL NEWS NEW VISION, Wednesday, March 7, 2018 7 Kayihura sacking a mere change of guard - Besigye KAMPALA By Jerome Bitswande Former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Dr Kizza Besigye has said the recent reshuffl e in the Police will not have any effect on the performance of the force. On Sunday President Yoweri Museveni dropped Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura from the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga greeting Prof Fred position of Inspector General of Ssewamala at Parliament. Photo by Eddie Ssejjoba Police (IGP) and replaced him with Okoth Ochola deputised by Brig. Sabiiti Muzeei. Call for child-friendly The reshuffl e came at a time when Police was struggling with managing rampant crime healthcare laws including kidnaps, murders and robberies. By Eddie Ssejjoba Speaking during a press conference at his Katonga Road A US-based Ugandan professor has appealed to offi ces in Kampala, Besigye Parliament to make child-friendly healthcare laws and referred to the Police reshuffl e policies that will address mental health challenges among as a mere change of guard Kizza Besigye talking to journalists outside his offi ce. Photo by Jerome Bitswande children and adolescents. which will not in any way The laws, according to Dr Fred Ssewamala, a professor improve the operations of the protection will not facilitate formerly appointed brigadiers reshuffl es in security are normal at Brown School of Social Work at Washington University force. him. Katumba Wamala and Kale processes of government in the US, should emphasise prevention and early “Provided Police remains Besigye, however, also Kayihura, to lead the force and ought not to cause any intervention of mental health problems among school- obsessed with regime quickly discounted the upon promotion to the rank of hullabaloo. going children and youth. protection, nothing will change; appointment of Okoth, a long- major general. He accused Besigye of trying He said if such problems are not tackled at an early stage, they will continue wasting time serving Police offi cer, deputized Besigye said Kayihura’s to use the reshuffl es to become they may compromise healthy transition to adulthood, on arresting Besigye instead of by Brig. Sabiiti Muzeei, a former sacking could be a result of a politically relevant. and in the long run increase economic and social costs for concentrating on apprehending commandant of the Military strained relationship. “Since Togikwaatako ended, families, government and society in general. criminals,” he said. Police. He said Okoth is likely According to Besigye, Besigye has been politically Dr. Ssewamala made the comments recently during a Besigye who said he knew to work as a fi gure head IGP Rwanda and Uganda have had dead. He is using the security meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga Kayihura long before he while Muzeei will be the de- a strained relationship dating reshuffl es to politically resurrect in her offi ce where he submitted his proposals and became IGP, said the former facto Police chief. as far back as 2000 when the himself,” said Opondo. Besigye contributions to the Mental Health Bill 2014. Police boss is actually a good Responding to the claims Rwandan Patriotic Army and added that Lt. Gen. Henry The Bill, currently before the health committee of man who only served a wrong by Besigye, Ofwono Opondo, the Uganda People’s Defence Tumukunde could have been Parliament, seeks to provide care and treatment for system; revealing that Okoth the executive director of the Forces were involved in a dropped as security minister persons with mental illness at primary health centres. could turn a bad man too while Government’s media centre, fi erce fi ght in Kisangani, in the because he had stayed for Dr Ssewamala, who is also the founding director of the at the helm of the Police. said if President Museveni Democratic Republic of Congo. long outside government and International Centre for Child Health and Development He argued that although wanted to appoint Brig. Muzeei He claims the relationship thus could not appreciate (ICHAD), told the Speaker that the current Bill does not Okoth, a professional Police as new Police chief, there would between the two countries has the current operations of the cater for children’s mental health issues, yet they constitute offi cer, might want to clean up be no reason to appoint him as never healed. Government. Tumukunde about 56% of the country’s total population and face the force, the system which he deputy. However, Opondo dismissed was replaced by Gen. Elly numerous mental challenges. said was hell-bent on regime He said the President has Besigye’s claims explaining that Tumwine. The ICHAD project based in the Greater Masaka region contributes to the reduction of poverty and improvement of health outcomes for school children, adolescent youth and families in low-resource communities. MPs reject rehabilitation facility over shoddy work The chairperson of the health committee of Parliament, Dr. Michael Bukenya, country director of Child Fund KAMPALA (CWDs) in Mbarara district due on 25 acres of land. The centre interiors, leaking ceilings and a Simba Machingaidze and Abel Mwebembezi, the executive to shoddy works. offers vocational training skills poorly done car park. director Reach the Youth Uganda attended the meeting. By Paul Kiwuuwa During their oversight and agriculture and animal “We insist that all the Dr. Ssewamala said that large numbers of Ugandan tour recently, the committee husbandry, among others. defects fi rst be corrected children live in communities with high rates of chronic Legislators on the gender, chairperson, Alex Ndeezi, also “Faulty construction poses by the contractor before poverty, domestic violence, physical violence toward labour and social development MP for Persons with Disabilities risks including deaths or injury offi cially handing it over to children, depression, malaria and HIV or AIDS. “These committee of Parlaiment (central region), said: “The to the occupants,” Ndeezi said. the Government and users factors require thoughtful policy interventions that will have stopped a private committee has halted the When the MPs entered the for occupation,” the rather allow them an opportunity to thrive and lead healthy and contractor from handing over handing over of the structures compound of the renovated perturbed Ndeezi added. productive lives,” he said. to the Government newly due to shoddy works, besides site, they had smiles on their Parliament appropriated sh6b The professor said mental health challenges that emerge rehabilitated structures of there is no value for money.” faces because of the beautiful in the fi nancial years 2013/2014, during childhood and adolescence may compromise Ruti Rehabilitation Centre The centre under contention exteriors, but these soon faded 2015/2016 for the renovation of healthy transitions to adulthood. for Children with Disabilities is a government facility seated when they saw the cracked institutions country-wide.