The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Tumusiime Katsigazi visited the Police Garment Factory on Jinja Road, Kampala, on Tuesday, 28th November to acquaint himself with its daily operations.
Upon arrival, DIGP Tumusiime Katsigazi received a warm welcome from Senior Commissioner of Police Felix Baryamwisaki, Deputy Director of Constructions, Estates, and Lands Management. The Acting Deputy Director of Logistics and Engineering, Commissioner of Police (CP) Ameri Irene Kimara, provided an insightful tour, detailing the facility’s progress and plans.
CP Ameri Irene Kimara emphasized the factory’s significant impact on reducing the cost and time of procuring police uniforms. Operating at full capacity, the facility can produce over 400 pairs daily, transitioning from the previous practice of importing uniforms from suppliers both local and abroad.
She mentioned that in the fiscal year 2023/2024, the Police achieved commendable savings of 740,000,000 Ugandan Shillings by internally providing working uniforms, each pair costing 40,000 UgX less than purchasing from prequalified suppliers.
CP Ameri Irene highlighted the factory’s positive influence on employment offered, benefiting police spouses, children, and other members of the public who have the requisite qualifications through the Presidential Skilling Program. The facility has also extended its services to benchmarking for sister forces such as Prisons and UPDF.
Expressing his appreciation, DIGP Tumusiime Katsigazi acknowledged the initiative’s role in cost-saving for taxpayers and pledged full support for the facility’s expansion beyond police services. He urged the team to maintain high standards of production quality and reliability to seize future opportunities.
Established in 2014 to halt the outsourcing of police uniforms, the facility was commissioned on September 30, 2014, by H.E. Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of the Republic of Uganda. Since then, it has produced all working uniforms for the Uganda Police Force.
The Police Garment Factory has provided services to Sister Forces, including the Uganda Prisons, where it stitched 28,000 pairs of working uniforms between 2019 and 2022. It served as a benchmark for the Uganda Prison Service to establish its stitching facility, providing training in good manufacturing practices and other skills.
During the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, the facility stitched 150,000 pieces of reusable masks for the UPDF, Police, and the general public, setting an example for them to establish their stitching facility.
Beyond borders, the Police Garment Factory stitched working uniforms for the Somalia Police Force, contributing significantly to the Buy Uganda and Build Uganda (BUBU) initiative by creating employment and generating revenues for the force and the country at large.
