Squad members, however, agreed the civilians were not randomly targeted, and insisted they only went after criminals. “We didn’t do any harm. No one was seriously beaten, except for one thief trying to steal a motorcycle and a phone,” he said. “He was given twenty strokes, but he was a thief.”

Additionally, he insisted, “We were not terrorizing Kampala, only protecting the property of some rich people around. One man with an internet café gave a member a Ush 50,000 note ($23). That’s not terrorism. We kept peace. People who don’t want peace say we are terrorizing.”

Members of the squad insisted they were also there for general security, “because people become ruthless, so we were to beat them and scare them. We were there to prevent hooliganism,” said the second squad member.

“We were whipping thieves out of the area,” the first man corroborated, claiming he was not paid for his duties but performed them anyway out of civic grace.

The other Kiboko Squad member also claimed to work without pay. He said, however, “I enjoyed the work because in one way or another I was trying to create peace.”