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SAME SUSPECT, DIFFERENT MOTIVE – MUSEVENI'S TOP CADRE SHOT DEAD

ANALYSIS OF KAWESI MURDER: WHO IS BEHIND? MUHOOZI? MUSEVENI? KAYIHURA? UPDF SPOKESMAN? SALIM SALEH? SUCCESSION MAFIA? Kawesa’s killing sends a clear message to the regime sycophants that those armed body guards are mere scarecrows. Insensitivity and arrogance has a price tag.
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Today morning the Police Director of Human Resource who also doubled as its PRO, Felix Kawesi was shot dead 100 metres from his residence by two men travelling on two motorcycles. His murder adds on the list of other unresolved murders of prominent people in Kampala using the same modus operandi (mode of operation) – armed people riding on motorcycles.

He joined the police in 2001 and was rushed through the ranks to Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP). Starting as a Personal Assistant to the Police Chief, he went on to command the police in Kampala and rose to become the Director of Operations. He brutally surprised all forms of political dissent and made no secret of his alignment to the ruling clique.

He committed, defended and promoted the most heinous forms of human rights abuses against the opposition activists. The USA blacklisted him among the officers who were placed on a travel ban to its territory.
In 2015 Kawesi was removed from operations to Human Resource Development – a move the public interpreted as a demotion. In October 2015 during a pass out of police officers at the military academy at Jinja, Police Chief Kalekyezi counselled Kawesi thus; “Don’t be disgruntled by those who say I demoted you simply because you are no longer in the news. Being in the news everyday doesn’t mean one is working very hard.” He went ahead to give the example of the former Nansana DPC, Mohamad Kirumira whom he accused of being fond of rushing to the media whenever he got administrative challenges.

However, in October 2016 Kalekyezi succumbed to pressure to bring back Kawesi to the limelight when he appointed him the Police PRO at a time when the force so much needed to clean its tarnished image. The appointment was meant to overshadow the role of AIGP Dr. Fred Yiga who had even given the same role of rebranding the police image as its Chief Political Commissar. Fred Yiga is a long serving professional police officer who had just returned from a UN mission in South Sudan where he had been diverted to give way for army Generals to take command of the police force.

In January 2017 Gen Kalekyezi applied to Museveni to have his contract renewed for another three year fifth term as police Chief. His Deputy, Okoth Ochola also applied for a renewal of his contract. Rumours circulated that Museveni was planning to replace him with Brig. Ronnie Balya, Brig. Leo Kyanda or Felix Kawesi. Though Museveni has not yet responded, Brig Kyanda was beaten out of the contest by the fake arms scandal involving Polish arms dealers. Brig. Balya was sacked from ISO and posted to South Sudan as Ambassador leaving Felix Kawesi in the race.
In his scheme to have his son Gen. Muhoozi take over from him, Museveni has been discarding old Turks and positioning fresh blood in strategic positions of his core political base, the security services. Andrew Kaweesi is one such stooge who would suit well into Kalekyezi’s shoes for the Muhoozi project. Indeed, Gen. Muhoozi’s condolence Twitter message speaks volumes thus; “AIGP Kawesi was a brave and dedicated officer.

The country has lost one of its best and brightest! May his soul rest in eternal peace.” One wonders how and why such a very senior police officer is apprised in terms of bravery of all the attributes! On the other hand, since Kawesi has been at the forefront of militarization of the police force, Gen. Muhoozi could be right if he assesses him from the perspective of the joint SFC/Police battles in Kampala and Kasese.

Gen. Kalekyezi has admitted to have called Kawesi a few minutes before he was shot dead. He says he instructed him to issue out a response to one of the “screaming” headlines in today’s newspapers. He has described his killing as a great loss to the police and other security agencies. “They always warned they should hit at the strongest point.

Indeed, killing him was touching us hears.” Kawesi is killed at a time when parliament is scheduled to hand the 3rd amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act 2002. The first one was in June 2015, the second one was in January 2016 and this third one is seeking to criminalize the financing of terrorism and terrorists’ activities. Already the committee on Defence and Internal Affairs is disagreeing on the definition of a terrorist.

The two soldiers, Col. Kulaigye and Maj. Abriga who are members of this committee disagreed on whether rebels fighting a government are terrorists. Museveni has thrived on the global terrorism ticket to suppress all forms of internal dissent while at the same time holding the west at ransom. He would wish to have all criminal offences in Uganda being viewed
from a terrorism perspective.

Whatever the motive, Kawesa’s killing sends a clear message to the regime sycophants that those armed body guards are mere scarecrows. Insensitivity and arrogance has a price tag.

Uganda