Uganda: Obituary – Sam Omala, Police Commander Who Tormented Dr. Besigye, Dies At 64
Sam Omala, the former police commander best known for leading brutal crackdowns on opposition protests and hounding opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, has died at the age of 64. He succumbed to cancer at Mulago Hospital.
At the time of his death, Omala had retired from the Uganda Police Force and was serving as a director at Arrow Security Services, a private security company owned by businessman Mike Mukula.
Tall, assertive, and fiercely loyal to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Omala was a prominent figure on Uganda’s political stage for more than a decade. He rose to public prominence during the Walk-to-Work protests in the early 2011s, when opposition activists adopted public demonstrations as a core form of political expression in response to rising inflation and government inaction.
As Kampala Metropolitan Police commander, Omala was thrust into the heart of the capital’s turmoil. The protests, inspired in part by the Arab Spring uprisings sweeping across North Africa, posed an unfamiliar and unnerving challenge for Uganda’s security agencies. The state’s response–marked by heavy-handedness and crackdowns–cemented Omala’s reputation as a hardliner.
He gained notoriety for orchestrating near-daily police blockades outside the home of Dr. Besigye, preventing him from accessing the city centre to mobilize support. For days on end, Omala and his officers camped outside the opposition figure’s gate, determined to contain a man who had become a thorn in the side of President Museveni’s government.
Despite Omala’s efforts, Besigye frequently outmaneuvered him–slipping through police cordons, appearing atop his vehicle in the central business district, and galvanizing crowds to the embarrassment of law enforcement. Yet Omala remained undeterred, often responding with force.
A figure of fear and control
Omala’s operations around Besigye’s residence often bordered on siege tactics. Police officers, under his command, trampled gardens and damaged property in what critics described as intimidation campaigns. His loyalty and aggression earned him favor with then-Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura, the longest-serving police chief, under whom Omala became one of the regime’s most trusted enforcers.
The 2016 presidential election provided another stage for Omala to shine. It was a period when the use of tear gas became a default response to opposition gatherings. Like Kayihura, Omala leveraged media coverage to reinforce his authority. While many officers shied away from cameras, he embraced them–granting soundbites and openly boasting about his ability to neutralize protests and enforce “preventive arrest” laws that critics said harkened back to colonial-era repression.
As long as Besigye was kept off the streets, Omala’s career flourished. The son of Tororo steadily climbed the ranks, eventually attaining the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police before his retirement in 2020.
Other notorious regime enforcers
Omala’s distinct blend of charisma and ruthlessness placed him in the same league as other notorious regime enforcers, including Sam Turyagumanawe, the late Felix Kaweesi, and Nixon Agasirwe. Smiling for the cameras even as he ordered beatings and arrests, Omala came to embody the face of Uganda’s repressive policing in the 2011s.
After retiring, he briefly flirted with a political career before opting to remain in the security sector. His transition to Arrow Security Services marked a quieter chapter in his life, but whispers of disillusionment remained. Like his former boss Kayihura and several others who had served the state with zeal, Omala reportedly felt abandoned by the very institution he had defended so vigorously.
According to his son, Omala was admitted to hospital in November 2024 after being diagnosed with cancer. He passed away on April 28, 2025.
By Independent (Kampala).
