“The Safety of the People”

COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | Lately, I have been reflecting on the Roman Empire and its establishment some 27 or so years before the birth of Christ the Messiah. One of its most enduring political thinkers was Marcus Tullius Cicero. When, like many, I read on social media of Ms. Pamela Tumwebaze’s murder at her home in Mukono, I remembered one of Cicero’s most enduring maxims: the safety of the people shall be the highest law.

This principle has always defined the legitimacy of any state.

Indeed, when the National Resistance Army (NRA) launched its protracted people’s war against the brutality of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) on 6th February 1981 with the attack on Kabamba, one of its principal agitations was the failure of the UNLA and the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) government to guarantee the safety of Ugandans. The moral and material support that sustained the struggle came largely from ordinary citizens who had lost confidence in the state’s ability to protect their lives and property.

History, therefore, teaches a simple but enduring lesson: political authority ultimately rests on public confidence that the state can secure the safety of its people.

In fact, President Museveni’s perceived adherence to this principle has endeared him to Ugandans for decades. But history also warns that legitimacy, once secured, must be continuously renewed through performance. Where insecurity rises, and impunity appears to flourish, public trust inevitably weakens.

The Roman Republic itself did not collapse merely because of external enemies. It faltered when citizens lost faith in the state’s capacity to guarantee order, justice, and security. Public corruption, institutional decay, and the failure to protect life eroded civic trust and weakened the moral authority of public institutions. When the state could no longer guarantee safety, citizens withdrew their allegiance — and the Republic itself became vulnerable.

It is against this historical warning that we must confront our present reality.

The vulgarities of murder, enabled to a large extent by unprecedented levels of public corruption and institutional weakness, now threaten to erode citizen confidence in our own state. Pamela Tumwebaze, whose contribution to academia as a member of the faculty at Uganda Christian University was one of the anchors upon which the future of our Republic was hinged, was murdered in her own home by an assailant reportedly dressed in her own attire.

Her murder is not an isolated case. Last year, a retired couple was brutally murdered in their home in Entebbe. Just last week, a hotel manager and one of her workers were killed in Rubaga. Across the country, many families are losing loved ones under circumstances that deeply trouble any peace-loving citizen.

We are now approaching a dangerous point where fear risks replacing trust.

To worsen matters, the Uganda Police Force’s standard response — “we are investigating” — does little to calm public anxiety or console the bereaved. Investigations that produce no visible outcomes, accountability that remains unclear, and communication that lacks reassurance only deepen public uncertainty.

This is not merely a policing challenge. It is a question of state legitimacy.

Uganda’s own history demonstrates that where the state appears absent, compromised, or ineffective in guaranteeing safety, public confidence erodes and alternative sources of authority gain sympathy. The circumstances that once justified resistance must never be allowed to re-emerge through institutional complacency or decline.

It is, therefore, imperative that state authorities act decisively and visibly.

The rising pattern of violent crime demands more than routine assurances. It requires measurable institutional reform and renewed operational effectiveness within the Uganda Police Force. The public must see faster and more transparent murder investigations, strengthened forensic and intelligence capabilities, clear accountability for investigative failures, and a renewed culture of professional competence within the force. Communication with the public must be reassured through results, not merely through statements.

Justice must not only be pursued — it must be seen to be done.

Cicero’s maxim remains timeless: the safety of the people shall be the highest law. This is not merely a philosophical ideal. It is the foundation of political stability, national cohesion, and the moral authority of the state itself.

The preservation of public safety is, therefore, not simply an administrative duty. It is a national imperative. State authority must respond with urgency, clarity, and resolve so that every Ugandan may feel secure in their home, confident in public institutions, and assured that the Republic protects its own.

For when the safety of the people is secured, the state is strengthened. When it is neglected, history warns that even the most enduring orders may falter.

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By Andrew “Pi” Besi | On X: @BesiAndrew