President Museveni has directed that it is now a requirement for visitors entering places of worship and hotels to present their identity cards as one of the measures to deal with terrorism.
“The main point of precaution is that anyone you don’t know should not enter your church, mosque or bar. Markets may be tricky but they are organized, you can check whoever enters, same should be done for hotels and lodges, ask for IDs for whoever comes to book a room,” Museveni said.
The president was on Thursday evening addressing the nation on the current security situation.
The address came on the backdrop of six bombs recovered by security last week in different parts of the city, Kampala.
On Sunday, an Improvised Explosive Device(IED) was safely detonated at Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral belonging to Pastor Robert Kayanja in Kampala and 28-year-old Kintu Abdurahman who was in possession of the IED was arrested as he tried to access the church in Rubaga .
Five other IEDs were later recovered from rented rooms and lodges where the suspected terrorists had kept them as they prepared for their missions.
Addressing the nation on Thursday, the president said previously, the terrorists used people known to the communities to move with the IEDs but noted this tactic has been changed in favour of strangers.
He therefore said as a move to nip their plans in the bud, it is high time focus is put on strangers in public places.
“You see these people [ADF] are foolish, they use people who are not known, new people in an area, which is a disadvantage to them because such people are easy to deal with. For hotels and lodges take particulars of people who come there. Take photos of their ID cards ,pictures and their phone contacts. Receptionists must not allow anybody to book without showing their ID cards and recorded. No strangers entering the church and anybody new must be reported to police. In bars, since the drinkers know each other, if anyone is new, challenge him, check him before you allow him,” Museveni said.
He said the same should be done for landlords before allowing tenants.
The president said if followed to the dot, these measures will ensure the terrorists are not haboured in these places.
“These things of planting bombs are miscalculations by the ADF and we are going to defeat them.”
Allays fears
The president however allayed fears of Ugandans and the international community about their security and safety on account of terrorists.
Museveni said there is nothing to worry since the terrorists have been defeated .
“My purpose of talking to you tonight is to tell you not to fear, we are going to defeat these people (ADF). We are working with the Congo government to hunt these people because we know who they are. So I don’t want anyone to start panicking thinking that this is insolvable,”Museveni said.
In 2021, Uganda launched an offensive against ADF inside DRC in a joint operation with the Congolese army named “Shuja”.
The operation has in the past two or so years seen over 500 ADF fighters put out of actions whereas other have been captured alive, others surrenders and a number of captives rescued.
The president explained that the UPDF has combed sector one and two which are areas directly West and North West of Mountain Rwenzori where the ADF used to hide and launch attacks.
He noted that because of this hot pursuit, the ADF has now extended further to as far as Mambasa but noted Uganda has mooted a plan to DRC government to have them completely wiped out and areas secured.
“We have the capacity to destroy them [ADF rebels] even from long distance. So if the DR Congo government allows us, we can finish them. We have shared with the Congo government our concepts which include the mobile forces, zonal forces and the LDUs, etc.”