(L-R) Generals Elly Tumwine, Salim Saleh and David Sejusa at a recent function. The recent exchanges among top military officials could point to deeper rifts in the UPDF.
Until a week ago, hardly anyone outside of military circles was aware of a Capt. Patrick Ssemujju. But his arrest a few days ago has got heads talking.
Attached to the coordinator of intelligence services, Gen. David Sejusa (Tinyefuza), Capt. Ssemujju faces charges of being part of coup plot while his boss has provoked an angry reaction with publication of a document suggesting a scheme to assassinate officers opposed to an alleged design to replace the President with his son.
Political watchers sense that the country has entered a new phase in the transition debate which, for some reason, restricts the future to the ruling establishment, negating any opposition role. The whispers circulating are that a line has been crossed with the police arresting this soldier.
Under the stringent denials from both the army and police, something bubbles.
The Ssemujju affair could be the first public move in a long-awaited asserting of opposed positions pitting the old guard against the new crop in the run-up to 2016 election.
In the middle, is President Museveni whose actions give the impression that he identifies himself more with Uganda’s young population. As such, he rarely appears in the company of old comrades. When Gen. Sejusa’s document went public, it sent shock waves through the establishment, while at the same forcing the army to speak about what has been the subject of quiet conjecture. A curious parallel was drawn between him and some in the opposition – suggesting that these traditionally opposed forces could join hands in a marriage of convenience.
Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the President’s son, looms large amidst it all. The Brigadier has kept a disciplined silence amidst the cacophony of rabble-rousing about him. But allegedly lining behind him is a new corps of middle level and senior officers (the very heart of army, so to speak).
These young officers were recruited over the last decade, some personally hand-picked by Brig. Muhoozi. They hardly bear a sentimental association with the National Resistance Army Bush War which brought President Museveni to power. They never fought in that war which represents the past to them.
Like Brig. Muhoozi, they are aged between late 20s and middle 30s. In theory, it is also believed that they will maintain a public show of loyalty to the Constitution. But across the imaginary divide which observers say has evolved within the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, political watchers see them at one point having to pick sides in a show-down with the old Generals. Some sections of the old guard lay claim to a blood sacrifice of the bush struggle. They demand that their voice be heard because of that sacrifice.
The current most vocal voice is Gen. Sejusa, a trained lawyer reported to be nursing presidential ambitions, and who ruling party sources say is giving vent to the frustration felt by many old soldiers who are unhappy that they are being shunted aside in the new scheme of things. However, any public acknowledgement that there is a schism within the army has tended to draw sharp responses.
This, nonetheless, cannot wish away what informed sources posit about Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire; Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi; Brig. Henry Tumukunde and others. The word is that these officers could be among those who feel unhappy with the emerging trends.
It is impossible, at this point, to say if there has been a meeting of minds but the reported wishes of Gen. Aronda Nyakairima to retire as Chief of Defence Forces raised some eyebrows. A loyal officer, Gen. Nyakairima lives everyday with the reality of Brig. Muhoozi’s Special Forces Command as it grows in size and capability alongside the regular army.
Brig. Tumukunde will not speak to the press, having only recently got a reprieve for charges of engaging in acts prejudicial to good order in the UPDF. But his past opposition to President Museveni’s bid for a third term is well noted.
Gen. Nyakairima’s position is of interest. He was reportedly brought through the ranks deliberately. The officer hails from Rukungiri, the home of district of opposition kingpin, Dr Kizza Besigye (himself a retired colonel). The district is also home to Maj. Gen. Muhwezi who spent time as leader of the Internal Security Organisation in the 1990s reportedly recruiting manpower for the agency from his home area.
Although related through marriage to the President, former minister Maj. Gen. Muhwezi is known to cherish his independence, and as MP for Rujumbura basks in the support of his constituency. Ever since he was censured by Parliament, with the reported tacit approval of State House, his relationship with State House has been, at best, uneasy.
Some feel Gen. Nyakairima emerged as a counter-weight to the unilateralist tendencies prevalent in Rukungiri even though the area regularly returns almost 100 percent for Mr Museveni at the ballot.
Then there is Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police. For many years, he operated in shadows as military assistant to the President.
(L-R) Generals Elly Tumwine, Salim Saleh and David Sejusa at a recent function. The recent exchanges among top military officials could point to deeper rifts in the UPDF.
Until a week ago, hardly anyone outside of military circles was aware of a Capt. Patrick Ssemujju. But his arrest a few days ago has got heads talking.
Attached to the coordinator of intelligence services, Gen. David Sejusa (Tinyefuza), Capt. Ssemujju faces charges of being part of coup plot while his boss has provoked an angry reaction with publication of a document suggesting a scheme to assassinate officers opposed to an alleged design to replace the President with his son.
Political watchers sense that the country has entered a new phase in the transition debate which, for some reason, restricts the future to the ruling establishment, negating any opposition role. The whispers circulating are that a line has been crossed with the police arresting this soldier.
Under the stringent denials from both the army and police, something bubbles.
The Ssemujju affair could be the first public move in a long-awaited asserting of opposed positions pitting the old guard against the new crop in the run-up to 2016 election.
In the middle, is President Museveni whose actions give the impression that he identifies himself more with Uganda’s young population. As such, he rarely appears in the company of old comrades. When Gen. Sejusa’s document went public, it sent shock waves through the establishment, while at the same forcing the army to speak about what has been the subject of quiet conjecture. A curious parallel was drawn between him and some in the opposition – suggesting that these traditionally opposed forces could join hands in a marriage of convenience.
Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the President’s son, looms large amidst it all. The Brigadier has kept a disciplined silence amidst the cacophony of rabble-rousing about him. But allegedly lining behind him is a new corps of middle level and senior officers (the very heart of army, so to speak).
These young officers were recruited over the last decade, some personally hand-picked by Brig. Muhoozi. They hardly bear a sentimental association with the National Resistance Army Bush War which brought President Museveni to power. They never fought in that war which represents the past to them.
Like Brig. Muhoozi, they are aged between late 20s and middle 30s. In theory, it is also believed that they will maintain a public show of loyalty to the Constitution. But across the imaginary divide which observers say has evolved within the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, political watchers see them at one point having to pick sides in a show-down with the old Generals. Some sections of the old guard lay claim to a blood sacrifice of the bush struggle. They demand that their voice be heard because of that sacrifice.
The current most vocal voice is Gen. Sejusa, a trained lawyer reported to be nursing presidential ambitions, and who ruling party sources say is giving vent to the frustration felt by many old soldiers who are unhappy that they are being shunted aside in the new scheme of things. However, any public acknowledgement that there is a schism within the army has tended to draw sharp responses.
This, nonetheless, cannot wish away what informed sources posit about Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire; Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi; Brig. Henry Tumukunde and others. The word is that these officers could be among those who feel unhappy with the emerging trends.
It is impossible, at this point, to say if there has been a meeting of minds but the reported wishes of Gen. Aronda Nyakairima to retire as Chief of Defence Forces raised some eyebrows. A loyal officer, Gen. Nyakairima lives everyday with the reality of Brig. Muhoozi’s Special Forces Command as it grows in size and capability alongside the regular army.
Brig. Tumukunde will not speak to the press, having only recently got a reprieve for charges of engaging in acts prejudicial to good order in the UPDF. But his past opposition to President Museveni’s bid for a third term is well noted.
Gen. Nyakairima’s position is of interest. He was reportedly brought through the ranks deliberately. The officer hails from Rukungiri, the home of district of opposition kingpin, Dr Kizza Besigye (himself a retired colonel). The district is also home to Maj. Gen. Muhwezi who spent time as leader of the Internal Security Organisation in the 1990s reportedly recruiting manpower for the agency from his home area.
Although related through marriage to the President, former minister Maj. Gen. Muhwezi is known to cherish his independence, and as MP for Rujumbura basks in the support of his constituency. Ever since he was censured by Parliament, with the reported tacit approval of State House, his relationship with State House has been, at best, uneasy.
Some feel Gen. Nyakairima emerged as a counter-weight to the unilateralist tendencies prevalent in Rukungiri even though the area regularly returns almost 100 percent for Mr Museveni at the ballot.
Then there is Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police. For many years, he operated in shadows as military assistant to the President.
0 comments:
Post a Comment