Police guarantees security and safety at Nyege Nyege
The UPDF and police marine personnel are stationed around the Source of the River Nile to prevent any potential security breaches involving water bodies.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Geoffrey Katsigazi, has reassured the general public of maximum security despite recent terror alerts issued by the United Kingdom and the United States governments.
Early this week, the UK and the US issued travel advisories cautioning their nationals against visiting crowded areas and festivals in Jinja. The advisories came hardly to the much anticipated Nyege Nyege festival in Jinja City.
The travel advisories indicated that terrorists may be targeting foreign nationals; however, Katsigazi insists that, “the country is safe for everyone, including international guests,”
During an inspection of the Nyege Nyege festival venue, he added that, “a significant deployment of personnel from the police, UPDF, and prisons is in place to ensure the safety of revelers,”
Katsigazi emphasized that Uganda has developed the internal capacity to prevent all forms of terrorism and is actively addressing the prevailing terror threats to ensure the safety of all individuals.
He also noted that Uganda has a tracking record in successfully countering terrorism, despite being located in a region with neighboring countries experiencing frequent acts of terrorism.
This year’s Nyege Nyege festival is taking place across the Source of River Nile tourism site, agricultural show grounds, and the Jinja golf course.
To enhance security, Kastigazi noted that bomb detectors for pedestrians and vehicles have been installed, along with a network of CCTV cameras to monitor the safety of festival attendees.
Additionally, UPDF and police marine personnel are stationed around the Source of the River Nile to prevent any potential security breaches involving water bodies.
Katsigazi encouraged the general public to attend the Nyege-Nyege festival with confidence, as they are taking security seriously throughout the festivities.
Aly Alibhai, the Nyege Nyege events manager, mentioned that over 300 ushers have been hired to handle security-related complaints from revelers.
He also revealed that they have deployed vigilantes to report any suspicious activities to security personnel during the festival.
