Government to roll out body cameras for Uganda Police officers

The Ugandan government has unveiled an ambitious plan to combat corruption within the police force by introducing body-worn cameras for officers. 

The initiative is detailed in the NRM’s 2026/31 manifesto which was officially launched yesterday, Monday, September 29th, by President Yoweri Museveni at Speke Resort Munyonyo. 

The initiative is hoped to enhance monitoring, improve accountability, and reduce malpractice in the law enforcement sector, where public trust has been significantly eroded.

Targeting the Most Corrupt Institution

The push for body cameras directly targets the institution that citizens perceive as the most corrupt in the country. 

Several reports including the National Integrity Survey Report have repeatedly ranked the Uganda Police among the worst departments in extorting money from members of the public in the form of bribery.

The extortion rate is high in the traffic police department and the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID).

Several reports, including that by Transparency International, have consistently ranked the Uganda Police Force as the most corrupt institution in Uganda.

This alarming perception is echoed by Afrobarometer surveys, which suggest that as many as two-thirds of citizens believe “most” or “all” police officials are corrupt, with many reporting they had to pay a bribe for police assistance.

Gradual Digital Rollout

Moses Byaruhanga, a member of the team that compiled the NRM manifesto, confirmed the government’s approach will be gradual. 

“We are going to introduce them this term gradually starting with [Kampala Metropolitan] and we should be able to reduce the level of corruption and good governance,” he stated. 

He drew a parallel to police forces in Western countries, noting that the cameras provide a clear, objective record of encounters, thereby ensuring that “whatever they are doing is being monitored.” 

This effort is part of a broader anti-corruption drive that includes introducing digital tools across the health and education sectors to fight absenteeism and drug theft, alongside making all government service applications (including investment and building permits) accessible and accountable online.

Logistical Demands of Body-Worn Video

The introduction of body-worn video (BWV) technology requires significant logistical infrastructure. 

These devices, typically worn on the officer’s chest, capture both audio and video from the officer’s perspective, acting as an independent witness. 

For the system to be effective, officers must be thoroughly trained on policy—knowing when and when not to record.

Crucially, implementing BWV requires a robust back-end system. At the end of a shift, the footage must be uploaded from the camera’s internal storage to a secure, centralised cloud storage solution—a massive digital evidence management system (DEMS). 

This demands reliable internet connectivity, adequate storage capacity to handle terabytes of video data, and clear protocols for accessing, redacting, and retaining footage for use in court or internal investigations. 

The government will need to invest heavily not just in the cameras themselves, but in the entire ecosystem required for secure data management and maintenance.