UPDF, Police Beef-up Security Along Karamoja Region

Security has been beefed up along the Karamoja region following the bomb blasts that happened in Kampala on Tuesday.

The Tuesday twin bomb blasts left six people dead and several others injured.

Now security operatives in Karamoja have reinforced check points along the routes that connect Kenya and Uganda via Karamoja districts.

The joint forces police and UPDF have established many check points while other others have been deployed to monitor people using the ungazetted routes to enter and exit Uganda

Micheal Longole, the Karamoja regional police spokesperson said the deployed forces along the borders will be checking all people who enter and go out of Uganda to Kenya and South Sudan via Karamoja routes.

"Our personel will be screening all the people who enter Uganda and going out of Uganda through Karamoja porous borders," he said.

Longole added that they will have a meeting with all the church leaders and hotel operators in the region to help guide them on how to be conscious while in their line of duty. "We will deploy our personel to help the church leaders in screening the believers before entering in the church to avoid terrorists taking advantage of gatherings," he said.

Milton Odongo, the resident district commissioner Nabilatuk appealed to the general public to be on alert and report any strange person they see in their various locations. Odongo who doubles as the chairman of district security committee of Nabilatuk district said terrorism can be fought seriously if the general public get serious and work with the security forces.

"Our forces are capable of  dealing with these terrorists if all Ugandans could support them," he said.

Simon Kotal, a cross border peace activist however expressed worry that the preparation to fight terrorists might affect the on going recovery of guns in Karamoja. "I am worried that our forces might again be diverted to fight terrorists and forget the issue of getting rid of the guns that are also terrorizing Karamoja and it's neighbouring regions," added Kotal.