The head of Uganda’s Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, has responded to calls for him to resign over the force’s failure to nip crime rate in the bud.

In recent months, over 20 women have been killed in the munipalities of Nansana and Entebbe.

Kayihura’s police has linked the murders to witchcraft and illuminati (devil worship) as well domestic violence.

Just at the weekend, four people died during attacks by an unknown gunmen in two separate incidents in Wakiso and Kampala.

With the crime rate increasing, some, especially in the opposition, have called on Kayihura to resign, and even asked his boss, three-decade president Yoweri Museveni, to sack him.

But Kayihura on Saturday told local government leaders during their 23rd annual general meeting at St Peter’s Technical Institute in Mubende that it was a tall order for Museveni to expect the police to stamp out crime without dealing with its root causes.

“The president was criticising us that we have failed to stamp out crime… If we are to prevent crime, we must address the root causes of crime in society… It has now become fashionable to criticise the police in Parliament instead of highlighting the actual problems and strategise on how to solve them,” Kayihura said.

The IGP argued that even if he was relieved of his duties, crime rate would not plummet if its root causes were not dealt a blow first.

“These songs of police this, police that…Kayihura alemeddwa [has failed]. People, okay, Kayihura can be sent to Luzira but I tell you, if you don’t address the problems in society, even if you put [appoint] I don’t know who, [but] whoever you put there, the problems of crime will not be solved,” he said.

Kayihura then rallied the local government leaders to help arrest corrupt police officers instead of waiting to report them to Museveni.

“Instead of waiting for the president to complain, why don’t you arrest those corrupt police officers? You have a constitutional mandate as leaders; discipline any corrupt characters in the police instead of complaining. If you are [doubtful], I have given you the authority as IGP,” he said.