Vituko Mitaani

A team of security officials from the military and regular police on Friday night raided the office of the coordinator of intelligence agencies, Gen. David Sejusa, formerly known as Tinyefunza. The office is located in Naguru, a Kampala suburb.

Reliable sources, who were part of the operation, told this newspaper that the officers took with them files, computers, food and other materials to a secret place for further investigations.

The army yesterday confirmed the raid, saying an official investigation has been instituted into the allegations made by Gen. Sejusa. “Following the statement in Parliament by the Defence minister, we have moved into a stage of investigation. We are investigating the issues that he raised in his letter,” the Army spokesperson, Lt Col. Paddy Ankunda, said, adding: “We needed useful information from his office. The team got documents and computer from his office.”

Journalists were, however, barred from entering the premises by security officers manning the gate. By press time, three patrol trucks and two navy blue Toyota Corolla cars were still parked at the gate to the building.

Meanwhile, security was further beefed up along the 40km stretch from Kampala to Entebbe International Airport as Gen. Sejusa was expected to arrive in the country through Entebbe on Saturday morning.

Three check points had been set up, first at Kitubulu (a 20-minute drive to the airport) manned by both the Police and Army. The second check point was set up at the junction to the old airport, manned by Special Forces Command while the third was shifted 500metres from the road toll at the airport entrance where it had been by Friday night to the headquarters of Civil Aviation Authority.

Visitors to the airport were thoroughly checked while journalists were denied entrance to the airport. However conflicting information continued to trickle in on whether Gen. Sejusa would return to the country.

While some sources had indicated that he would arrive on Friday night or Saturday morning, others claimed that the General had indefinitely postponed his plans to return to the country for fear of possible arrest.

Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga told legislators on Wednesday that matters regarding disciplinary action against Gen. Sejusa remained in the hands of President Yoweri Museveni, also commander-in-chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). He also told Parliament that there are no plans to have President Museveni’s son, Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, replace him as leader of the country.

Gen. Sejusa, in a letter to the director general of the Internal Security Organisation, asked that claims that top officials, including the chief of police, may have plotted to either assassinate or frame colleagues, be investigated.

A member of the inner circle of bush war comrades who fought alongside President Museveni between 1981-85, Gen.Sejusa warned that “these are very serious allegations with potential to destabilise the country”.

The General also asked that the inquiry establishes if the plans to eliminate top officers, including himself and Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, have anything to do with their perceived opposition to the so-called “Muhoozi Project”.