Members of Parliament will each get sniper security guards and a follow-up armoured vehicle on top of their usual police bodyguards, President Museveni has revealed.
“Each MP will now have a marksman with a body armour, bulletproof four wheel-drive escort vehicle with an open carriage bed, in addition to police guards,” a statement signed by the president reads.
#NTVnews: President Museveni has directed the Minister of Finance to acquire a fleet of new 4 wheel-drive pick-ups with open carriage beds which will carry sharp- shooters of the army assigned to protect Member of Parliament.@ntvuganda pic.twitter.com/Q5AaCyi9Uw
— Herbert ZziwaReports (@zziwaherbert) July 11, 2018
This revelation follows an outcry by mostly NRM MPs to the president that lives were threatened and their police bodyguards were afraid to move in the same vehicles with them.
In his response, the president ordered the Chief of Defence Forces to deploy the UPDF to guard the legislators – a directive that caused a public uproar as critics noted that the army should protect all citizens, not just the ‘VIPs.’
Good Morning Uganda-a Ctry where ruler FORGETS THAT it’s a fundamental duty of state to PROTECT all citizens.On 29/06/18, M7 penned a directive to Kasaija to purchase bullet proof security vehicles&body protection 4 MPs.QN is which MPs,where is the money&how about other citizens? pic.twitter.com/GbUWhoBXmA
— Bireete Sarah (@SarahBireete) July 12, 2018