Uganda police chopper needs a push

It is only in Uganda where a police chopper needs a push.  Another thing,  if you call police for an emergence issue this is what you hear,  “You have called police please hold the line!” You will hold the line until Jesus Christ comes back, but no answer will come to you through the line.

Well, the police chopper you see here in the picture has many stories sparking from the condition of the plane to the point of origin plus procurement. 

As Uganda prepared for 2016 general elections, the Uganda Police Force acquired new state of art and sophisticated spy choppers to crack down rioters in the elections. However, the condition of the copters exposed the pilots to danger.

The two choppers procured to transport troops and VIPs grounded at Kajjansi airfield after they got a mechanical breakdown less than a year since the president commissioned them at Entebbe.

Whereas Police was tight-lipped on this saga, a source who is a high-ranking officer said the procurement was handled by three directors; AIGP Godfrey Bangirina who headed Transport and Engineering, Rogers Muhirwe- the undersecretary and Amos Ngabirano- director of ICT, who fled the country after President Museveni ordered for his sacking and subsequent arrest.

Although police didn’t disclose the amount of money used to buy these junk helicopters, a source said police paid billions of shillings for this deal.

“Even the pilots recruited from the army to fly the choppers were rendered jobless prompting them to run away from the police. We don’t know their whereabouts. The choppers are rotting away at Kajjansi airfield,” a source told the press.

All said and done, do you think the officers involved in this saga love Uganda and Ugandans? What was on the minds of the officials? Every life matters, they should have though about lives of the pilots and thereafter taxpayers money.