By George Aine
Cabinet has approved a government proposal to borrow $104,022,277 (about 400b) from Standard Chartered Bank to install more CCTV cameras countrywide.
The proposal is to supplement the 5,552 cameras that government purchased in July and is already installing in major parts of Kampala following an approval of a Shs60b supplementary budget by Parliament.
The original plan has been to install the cameras in only urban areas but Cabinet on Monday agreed that more cameras should be installed in major towns countrywide.
According to the statement released by Cabinet, the money will be used to design and build command and control centers in different parts of the country.
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The money will also be used for the installation of integrated communication platforms and installation of integrated case management systems, which include face recognition software and DNA, among other systems.
The money will also be used to develop a data center with disaster recovery sites, installation of required network infrastructure; training of staff in all the relevant systems; and operation and maintenance of the system.
The Cabinet approval follows the assassination of former Buyende District Police Commander Mohammad Kirumira at the weekend. Kirumira was shot together with his sister-in-law, Resty Nalinya, in the former’s car as the duo arrived at Kirumira’s home in Bulenga near Kampala. Nalinya died on the spot while Kirumira was confirmed dead at Lubaga hospital.
The camera project was mooted by the President following the murder of former police spokesman Andrew Felix Kaweesi in March last year but his directive was implemented following the murder of former Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga in June this year.
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