Police Push for Absorption of 90,000 Polling Constables into Private Security Firms

Private security companies will man at least 90,000 polling stations across the country after the expiry of a three-month contract for polling constables recruited by the police for the electoral period. The Uganda Police Force recruited 99,000 polling constables, who were deployed to more than 50,000 polling stations nationwide. Their tenure started on January 1 and is expected to end in March.

As the contracts lapse, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Abas Byakagaba, has urged private security companies to recruit thousands of the former polling constables to retain them within the broader security sector.  Byakagaba appealed during a meeting with the Uganda Private Security Association (TUPSA) at police headquarters in Naguru, where he said private security firms stand to benefit from absorbing more than 90,000 election constables.

The IGP said the polling constables were temporarily recruited and trained to provide security during the electoral period and have since acquired sufficient experience to serve effectively in private security companies. “Integrating these constables into private security organisations would go a long way in easing staffing shortages in the sector. This move would also raise the level of professionalism and improve the quality of services offered by private security companies,” IGP Byakagaba said.

Byakagaba further pledged that the police force he superintends would provide training facilities in various regions of the country to support the retraining and professional development of private security guards.  “Police will also offer logistical support, including uniforms, meals, transport, and medical care, to help lower the cost of training, which has previously been a major challenge for private security firms. This is because private security organisations are key partners to the police,” IGP Byakagaba said.

TUPSA Chairperson Grace Matsiko described the initiative as timely and strategic, noting that recruiting polling constables into private security companies builds on existing police support to the sector, including assistance with the acquisition of firearms. Police said private security guards are force multipliers that play a significant role in national security, despite operating as commercial entities. 

Byakagaba said strengthening the private security sector would reduce the demand for police protection by high-profile individuals, enabling the police to focus on broader public safety responsibilities. “Private security organisations operate as an extension of the police and were legally established to complement the work of the Uganda Police Force. I direct that a committee should be formed to develop clear guidelines for police led training of private security guards,” Byakagaba said.

Police added that police-led training of private security guards will begin with the retraining of former election constables, before extending to serving and newly recruited guards. TUPSA thanked the IGP for the continued guidance and called on private security companies across the country to submit details indicating the number of election constables they are willing to recruit.