Police officers learn survival skills as retirement nears

FORT PORTAL – About 100 police officers from Rwenzori West who are nearing retirement have been equipped with skills on how to live a better life after their service in the force.

While closing a one day workshop at Fort Breeze in Fort Portal City on Wednesday, the Uganda Police Force [UPF] Deputy Director Human Resource and Administration, SCP Godfrey Musana urged the officers to take retirement as normal.

“Retirement is normal and is a must for all of us. You need to plan for it on your own in your private life and do not spend extravagantly what you are earning now but save and invest wisely,” Musana said.

Musana explained that the workshop was organized to help retiring officers understand and plan for life after retirement ,explain the existing retirement policy in the public service and equip them with skills of coping with retirement demands.

“These officers need to be prepared mentally and psychologically because people fear the issue of retirement but when they undergo this training, they gain confidence to face the outside world,” he said.

Musana assured the officers that there is life after retirement and appealed to them to get ready to face a different life out there.

He however warned officers about conmen who will claim that they are helping them in processing their benefits quickly.

“You need to be extra careful while processing your benefits. You have been guided on how to process your benefits so don’t be conned, you just need to have your files ready with all the documents required to help you quicken the process,” he urged the officers.

Victor Bua the commissioner for compensation in the ministry of public service said as the ministry, they came up with pre-retirement programme for people who are left with five years to retire.

Bua said in this programme they guide officers on what they can do, how they can invent and what to invest in.

He said some people die prematurely after retirement because of depression and isolation but when they are guided; it becomes easy for them to fit back in the community.

He however warned these officers to stop overspending money on alcohol and womanizing around but rather invest wisely.

“You need to start spending money on things that benefit you. Stop spending extravagantly on things you can live without. Also learn not to keep cash, save and invest,” he said.

He appealed to the officers to compute their benefit the way they were guided so that they can be able to know how much they will take home after retiring.

Sergeant Godfrey Matsiko the Bunyangabu District Community Liaisons Officer [DCLO] said the training was timely and from the guidance given to them they hope to have a better life after retirement.

Matsiko said he has spent 33 years in police and will retire in three years. He is optimistic that by the time he retires, he will have made some investments.

“As of now, I have a home and some land but after the knowledge acquired, I hope to have some more investments to look up to when I retire,” he said.

https://thecooperator.news/uganda-police-mbarara-hospital-to-ink-health-emergency-deal/

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