MAGARA MURDER: Museveni Proposes Palm Print, DNA Identification to Counter Crime

President Yoweri Museveni has said that the gruesome murder of Susan Magara who was kidnapped earlier this month should call for unconventional interventions such as palm print and DNA identification, in order to reinforce the fight against crime.

He attributed security breaches that led to the death of 28-year-old Susan to gaps like the lack of CCTV cameras in major towns and the unregulated sale of simcards to people without electronic identity cards.

“No more mobile or fixed phone SIM cards should be given to anybody without the electronic identity card,” Museveni said in his condolence message to the family of the deceased.

“We may require the sellers of mobile phone SIM cards to have electronic identity card readers so that we rule out the photocopying of genuine electronic ID cards,” he added.

Susan’s family revealed on Wednesday that during the negotiations that preceded her murder, the kidnappers communicated to them through different telephone numbers but many of them were unregistered, making it difficult to trace the users.

Read More: Susan Magara’s Family Say Kidnappers Used Several Unregistered Simcards, Demand Govt Action

Museveni says that “in order to eliminate these criminals, we may have to look at two other measures” such as capturing all citizens’ palm-prints and DNA.

He downplayed the argument that capturing the DNA details of all Ugandans is considered undemocratic, saying that “DNA records are good to compare with blood samples, sweat, sperm etc found at the scene of crime”.

Museveni who regretted the death of Susan described the killers as “pigs” that lack value for human life. He vowed to capture the people responsible for Susan’s death the same way NRM defeated terrorists like Kony and ADF.

“As for the killers of Susan, we shall get them because there are clues they left behind. I will not allow anybody to interfere with the freedom of our young people,” the President said.