Uganda police had been anticipating terrorist attacks as early as June but a focus on the wrong targets combined with friction between private security firms allowed the terrorists to find sitting ducks when they struck a week ago.

The EastAfrican has learnt that, on June 18, police chief Major General Kale Kayihura issued a circular to Regional and District Police Commanders that warned of possible attacks by Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda and the Uganda-based Allied Democratic Forces rebels anywhere between June 19 and October 2010.

The intelligence was not specific on the nature of attacks or targets and the police response focused on the usual suspects — prominent buildings, strategic installations and petrol stations and fuel tankers.

In the popular truckers’ stops along the Trans-Africa Highway, police stopped vehicles from parking within trading centres.

“Unfortunately, the response focused on few areas, with an emphasis on car bombs and the counter strategy was not implemented to the letter,” says a security source who partly blames the lapses on perennial personnel changes in the force that have robbed it of experienced hands.

According to this source, this predominance of young, inexperienced officers would prove tragic on July 11, as attempts to deploy police at the Lugogo Rugby Grounds were rebuffed by the private security firm that had been hired to provide security by the organisers.

At the other bombing site in Kabalagala, Ethiopian Village, the young officers were also denied access.

In both instances, police were left to patrol the perimeter of the venues.

There were three major World Cup gatherings in Kampala on July 11.

At Nakivubo stadium and state broadcaster Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, police were in charge with sniffer dogs and access control equipment that were lacking at the other venues.

After the initial intelligence was received, there was debate within security circles on whether the information should be made public.

In the end, it was decided that going public would cause unnecessary alarm and a lid was put on the information.

A factor that is causing further concern in security circles is the emergence of Ugandan suicide bombers.

Extensive police investigations have revealed that save for one suspect, in all the other cases, eyewitnesses are describing suspects who fit the profile of typical Ugandans.

Police now fear that youth unemployment and poverty could have reached a point where Ugandans are being lured to join terrorism in search of money.

Kenya arrested one Ugandan suspect, whom it handed over to Ugandan security.

Because of this, police believe many terrorists and their accomplices could still be around the country and there is a likelihood of further attacks.

Equally baffling is the absence of any warnings before the bombs went off. In the earlier attacks in 1998, the bombers called to alert police to the bombings minutes before the explosions went off.

In the latest attacks, there were no prior warnings, indicating the entry of a new breed of terrorist.

The type of bombs used was also different. While pipe bombs were the primary weapon in earlier attacks, the latest bombs used organic explosives and ball bearings, which resulted in more dispersal.

Police say 70 per cent of the victims had penetration wounds and ruptured internal organs, which combined with alcohol consumption led to excessive bleeding and rapid death.

The emergency response has also come under the spotlight after pictures showed police patrol trucks being used to ferry victims to hospitals.

Our source says Uganda lacks a functional ambulance system as available ambulances belong to individual hospitals.

There is no system of mobilising them to respond to a single emergency.

On July 11, all police could do was inform the national referral hospital, which scrambled personnel to attend to the massive emergency.

The shock of the bombings was such that even private security units that would ordinarily turn away such cases, admitted victims.

Police are now following some leads likely to identify the origin of the bombers.

The type of explosive involved has been identified and advanced ballistics analysis is being undertaken to refine the results further.