Kira Road Division district police commander (DPC) Mathias Turyasingura has succumbed to coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
Assistant inspector general of police (AIGP) Asan Kasingye said Turyasingura succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday at Mulago National Referral hospital.
"You were a good commander, patriotic, disciplined and always concerned with the welfare of your officers. DPC, you fought crime in Kira Road with zest and zeal. Rest in Peace comrade," said Kasingye in a tribute.
Sgt. Eddie Semitego, the head of community policing at Old-Kira Road Police Division, a close friend to the deceased told URN that Turyasingura fell sick about a fortnight ago and went on sick leave.
The next day, the deceased communicated to his colleagues that he was receiving treatment at one of the clinics in Mpererwe, a Kampala city suburb where he has been residing, but the situation deteriorated over the weekend. He was transferred to Mulago hospital on Sunday evening, where a COVID-19 test was taken and returned positive.
At the time of his death, according to Ssemitego, the deceased had already received the first COVID-19 vaccination jab as did most other officers.
Semirego said they are waiting for official communication from Turyasingura's family and relatives, and the Uganda Police Force about the arrangements of his burial.
The deceased, who hails from Kabale district joined police in 2007 when Gen Kale Kayihura was the Inspector General of Police (IGP). He did an intermediate course at Kaweweta, completed senior command and staff course before he was posted as DPC Kira Road replacing Michael Kasigire who had by then transferred to Entebbe last year.
In March, police launched a COVID-19 vaccination exercise for its personnel at an event that was presided over by chief of joint security Maj Gen Jack Bakasumba at Naguru police headquarters.
Dr Moses Byaruhanga, the director of police health services, recently said that so far only 7,833 police officers in Kampala have turned up for the COVID-19 vaccination. Health officials have said Uganda is already into its second coronavirus wave with all the ICU units at Entebbe and Mulago hospitals already full.
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