President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the national armed forces and police to immediately stop the practice of caning civilians, especially during arrests and crowd control.
In his end of year address, the president said he does not support the use of canes or batons on lawbreakers, even though some police forces in other countries use them during crowd control.
“Some police forces around the world do it using batons. I, however, reject it. It must stop,” Museveni said.
He added that although caning was commonly used by teachers and parents in the past, it was not the right way to enforce discipline.
The president advised the police to instead use teargas, which he said is legal and non-lethal. However, he cautioned that even teargas should be used carefully and in an organized manner.
Museveni instructed security forces to issue clear warnings before using teargas, water cannons, or other non-lethal methods, so that people are given enough time to disperse.
“The police should be much more methodical. They should use loudspeakers to warn people and give them time to move away before taking action,” he said.
The directive is expected to influence how security agencies handle public order operations going forward.
