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Uganda Patterns of Crime and the Government's Response
Patterns in criminal behavior and arrests have often
reflected Uganda's economic and political setting. During
the
colonial period, most arrests were for murder, rape,
robbery,
and, on occasion, treason. People were also imprisoned for
failing to pay taxes. After Uganda gained independence,
however,
crime patterns slowly shifted to involve more violent
crimes.
Attacks by bands of armed robbers (kondos) became
common
in urban areas. Then in the 1970s, this pattern shifted to
emphasize political crimes. Many arrests and executions
were not
recorded, and statistics were unavailable.
Uganda's parliament tried to stop the rise of organized
violent crime in 1968, amending the 1930 Penal Code to
mandate
the death penalty for those convicted of armed robbery.
Parliament also amended the criminal procedure code to
require
ex-convicts to carry identity cards and to present these
cards at
police stations at regular intervals. A few months later,
the
government passed the Public Order and Security Act,
authorizing
the president, or a delegated minister, to detain
indefinitely
anyone whose actions were judged prejudicial to national
defense
or security. After 1970 the government increased its
reliance on
this act to detain political opponents.
Following the overthrow of the second Obote regime in
1985,
the government freed about 1,200 prisoners held under the
Public
Order and Security Act. Some abuses still continued to be
reported in 1990, despite government promises to end abuse
by
police and prison officials and to respect individual
rights
before the law.
Data as of December 1990
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