Uganda gets 'Big Brother' cameras for summit

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

KAMPALA, Aug 9 (Reuters) Uganda will become the first country in east Africa to boast closed-circuit TV cameras on its streets ahead of a Commonwealth summit in November.

Twenty-four cameras will be set up this month in the capital Kampala and three more on the nearby shores of Lake Victoria, where Britain's Queen Elizabeth and more than 50 other leaders will gather, a local contractor working on the project said.

''This will bring our country up to date and improve security,'' said the contractor, who asked not to be named. ''The posts are up and the cameras should be installed next week.'' The live feeds will be monitored by police at a command centre in the former British High Commission in the centre of Kampala, he said.

The Ugandan government declined to comment on security matters concerning the summit.

Preparations for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting are well under way in Uganda, with builders racing to finish several new hotels to meet demand for 3,000 extra beds.

Last month, the government said direct foreign and local investment nearly tripled to 2.18 billion dollars in the 2006/07 fiscal year, partly due to growth in the hospitality sector ahead of the summit.

REUTERS GL BD1532

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