3 years, 7 months ago-
The Uganda dictator, Yoweri Museveni has redeployed the top military establishment including the Chief of Defence Forces Gen Katumba Wamala.
Wamala has been appointed Minister of State for Works.
The reshuffle is contained in a radio message sent by the commander in Chief President Yoweri Museveni on Monday night.
Maj Gen David Muhoozi who has been commanding the Land Forces is now the CDF.
Maj Gen Mbadi who has been serving as Chief of Staff is now the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces.
Special Forces Commander Maj Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been appointed Special Presidential Advisor in charge of operations.
Muhoozi’s deputy, Lt Col Don Nabaasa has been promoted to Colonel and appointed acting Commander Special Forces Commander.
Deputy CDF Lt Gen Charles Angina takes over as Deputy Commander Operation Wealth Creation, in what is seen as a demotion.
Brigadier Peter Elweru shifts from Mbarara where he has been serving as 2nd Division commander to take charge of Land Forces.
He is now at the rank of Major General.
Elweru commanded the operation that saw UPDF Commandos raid Rwenzururu palace and capture King Wesley Mumbere.
Brig Okiding who has been commanding UPDF in Somalia has been promoted to Major General and Commander Field Artillery.
Chief of Military Intelligence Brigadier Charles Bakahumura has been transfered and appointed Chief of Logistics and Engineering.
Brig Mugyenyi was equally promoted to Maj General and appointed Commander Air Defence.
Lt Col Abel Kandiho has since been elevated to Colonel and appointed CMI boss.
Free Uganda has been informed that, the Uganda Dictator Yoweri Museveni, has appointed Brig. Richard Karemire to replace Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda as the army spokesperson in the recent reshuffles.
The development comes days after the January 10th redeployment of top UPDF officials where former Chief of Defense Forces, Gen Katumba Wamala was replaced by Gen David Muhoozi and appointed State Minister for Works.
In the same shuffle, Col. Henry Mastiko has been promoted to Brigadier and appointed Chief Political Commissar, replacing Col. Felix Kulayigye.
Among other reshuffles, Mike Kabango has been promoted to Brigadier and sent to 5th division.
Col. Chris Bossa has been promoted to Brigadier and appointed Deputy Commander, Senior Staff College.
Somalia hero, Brig. Paul Lokech has been sent to Mbarara as second Division commander, replacing Brig. Peter Elweru who was appointed Commander for Land Forces.
Brig Lokech was one of the first commanders of the UPDF Amisom in Somalia where his daring acts during his tenure and the fight against Al Shabaab earned him the name ‘Lion on Somalia’
Col. Michael Kabango has been promoted to Brigadier and appointed 5th Division Commander. He replaces Sam Kavuma.
Brig. George Igumba has been appointed Chief of Personnel.
Brig. Sam Kavuma has been appointed Deputy Commander, Airforce.
The highest ranking woman Brig. Nalweyiso who works in State House has been promoted to Maj General while Gen Nakibus Lakara has been appointed commander, rapid response center.
Police intercept the vehicle Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere was in
.
Right from the start, it was evident to Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere that the State were no ready to let him walk free. This came to pass a few hours later when police re-arrested him after being granted bail by the Jinja High Court on Friday evening.
At exactly 3pm, Justice Eva Luswata arrived in court and read her ruling on the bail application that took over 40 minutes.
“The application has been accepted, ” Luswata said, also putting travel restrictions on Mumbere as one of the measures to avoid resumption of violence in the Rwenzori region as had been highlighted by the state prosecutors.
“You will not be allowed to Kasese, Kabarole and Bundibugyo districts. You will only be allowed in Kampala, Jinja and Wakiso districts.”According to the judge, the Rwenzururu king was allowed to apply for a new passport after informing the Jinja Chief Magistrate. Mumbere had earlier told court that all his documents including the diplomatic passport were destroyed during the November raid on his palace.
Adamant
Usually, the norm is that on being granted freedom, the suspect would happily leave the dock to join his friends and relatives in jubilation, but this was not the case with Mumbere.
As his queen Agnes Ithungu, mother Christine Nyamukama Mukiranya and other subjects including Kasese MPs reached out to him to celebrate his release, Mumbere remained silent.
He was on several occasions seen trying to peep through the window as he watched policemen gather around court.
Mumbere boards his brother Christopher Kibanzanga’s car to leave court
Efforts to have him leave the dock by his lawyers and other subjects proved futile.“I fear they might arrest me, “he said before spending over an hour in the dock.
It was after his team of lawyers led by Caleb Alaka convinced him to sign the bail form together with his 6 sureties that he agreed to leave the courtroom.
“Your Majesty, you are now a free man and I hand you over to the Queen (Agnes Ithungu),”Alaka said.
He was then led to the court cells by prison warders for signing prison documents.He was then set free and majestically moved out of the court cells with his queen waving to their subjects. This happiness would however be cut short.
Meanwhile, for the lawyers and Kasese legislators, they anticipated something was wrong.
Leader of Opposition, Winnie Kiiza was quick to warn government not to do any ‘nasty’ thing by re-arresting the Omusinga.
Prisons officers watching the rearrest of Mumbere
“This case has made government naked and they should not make themselves more naked by trying to re-arrest him,” Kiiza told journalists.For lawyer Sam Muyizzi, this was something similar to the infamous ‘Black Mamba’ re-arrest of opposition strongman Dr. Kizza Besigye.
“At first we thought it was simply beefing up security to protect him but we have realized it is something else,” Muyizzi told journalists.
Mumbere together with his queen Ithungu would later accept to sit into his brother and agriculture state minister Christopher Kibanzanga’s car ready to be driven out of court premises.
Outside court premises was a waiting black police van and another patrol vehicle as they kept an eye at what was going on inside the court.
A few meters to the court exit, the convoy that included Kiiza, stopped and Mumbere ordered the driver not to move anywhere.
“It is not safe moving out of court. I will stay here even if it means spending 2 weeks. I know they want to arrest me but they will only do so if they have a warrant, “Mumbere said.
Later, there was a visible disagreement between Omusinga and his brother Kibanzanga as the latter tried to convince the king to accept to move out.
After almost 2 hours, Mumbere agreed to drive out of the court premises, only to be intercepted by the Kiira region Deputy RPC Onesmus Mwesigwa.
He asked the Rwenzururu to open the door, spoke to him briefly and was arrested.
Police would later bundle him into the waiting van and drive to an unknown destination.
Fresh Charges
The police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi later confirmed they had arrested Omusinga and detained him at an unnamed police station in Jinja.
“It is in connection with fresh charges. They range from murder to terrorism,” Kaweesi said.
He said that the fresh charges are specific for Omusinga committed in the Rwenzori region.
“We found out that people were murdered and acts of terrorism and Mumbere is individually connected to those crimes.”
Edith Byanyima made sectarian statements
The aunt to the Kanyamunyu brothers, who are facing charges of murder of Kenneth Akena, again failed to show up at police for questioning.
Ms Edith Byanyima was summoned on Monday for questioning and later records a statement over allegations of promoting sectarianism and incitement of violence. However she could not make it due to “other commitments”, suggesting that she reports on Tuesday at 10:00am, only not to turn up again.Ms Byanyima declined to say anything when contacted to explain whether she intended to report to police later or she was decided to remain defiant.
“I have nothing to say, I insist, I will say nothing,” she said on phone.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Emilian Kayima says they (police) will keep waiting for her to turn up and later make a decision.
“There is still time, we shall wait for her to come. May be if she fails to come, we shall communicate our next step,” he said.
Ms Edith Byanyima is alleged to have made sectarian statements in an interview with a local online media accusing people of a certain tribe of being behind the death of the father of Joseph and Matthew Kanyamunyu.
According to the Penal Code Act, a person who makes or utters any statement which is likely to promote, in any other way, “feelings of ill will or hostility among or against, any group or body of persons on account of religion, tribe or ethnic or regional origin commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years”
David Muganzi was reportedly beaten and killed by Police crime presenters
Police deployed heavily on the Mbarara Ntungamo road which was being blocked by angry residents
Police yesterday Monday deployed heavily along the Mbarara- Ntungamo road which was blocked by angry relatives and neighbors of a murdered resident.
30 year old David Muganzi late last week is said to have been beaten to death by police crime preventers during a night operation.
The deceased was a resident of Nyakaguruka village, Rugando Sub County in Rwampara Mbarara district, but was selling charcoal in Kisenyi cell, Mbarara municipality.
Last week on Tuesday, Muganzi was according to relatives, arrested by crime preventers at around 1: 00am while coming from a party in Kisenyi.
The crime preventers attached to Mandela Police Post in Kakoba Division Mbarara reportedly asked for Shs 20,000 but he declined to give it to them.
The then started beating him severely and left him unconscious.
Muganzi was rushed to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital by good Samaritans, where he was found to have bled internally and had multiple wounds.
David Muganzi was reportedly beaten and killed by Police crime presentersDavid Muganzi was reportedly beaten and killed by Police crime presenters
According his cousin sister Priscilla Kyobutungi, he was operated and he remained unconscious until Saturday January 21st when he died.
Kyobutungi says while recording statements at Mbarara Police station, she was ordered by a top police officer to state that Muganzi was knocked by a speeding motorcycle.
She says however that she contacted the local Police Professional Standards Unit which in liaison with the hospital confirmed that the deceased was battered.
Consequently, three crime preventers and two police officers were arrested and detained to assist in the investigations.
The crime preventers were identified as Emily Tusiime, Fabregas Herbert, and Herbert Nuwamanya while the police officer were’t named.
These were however released shortly afterwards and only Fabregas remains in detention.
Meanwhile in protest, the relatives of the deceased refused to collect the body from the Mortuary, but police drove it and dumped at their home in Kinoni on Saturday evening.
On departure, locals turned riotous and blocked the Mbarara-Ntungamo road which forced the police to unleash teargas to disperse them.
Kyobutungi says Mbarara DPC Jaffar Magezi later sat with the family and asked them to go to Mbarara and pick Shs 1million to help with the funeral.
The DPC also promised to clear the medical bills amounting to Shs. 2.8 million; but only left them with Shs. 300,000.
Trouble however, resumed yesterday before the burial when the DPC refused to hand over the original postmortem report to the family, which prompted the locals to turn violent again and teargas resumed.
This compelled Mbarara Resident District Commissioner Capt. Martha Asiimwe to intervene. She personally delivered the original copy of the postmortem and apologized before the locals about the incident.She also handed Shs. 1million to the family to help with the burial, which commenced late in the evening.
David Muganzi, son to Eliab Mugisha left behind 4 children and 2 widows; Nice Katusime and Marion Ninsima.
Capt. Martha promised the family that all those involved in the murder will the arrested and brought to book.
HOW IDI AMIN WAS FORCED TO BE PRESIDENT
On 24th January 1971, the mutineering soldiers at Mengo barracks were plotting their next move after taking the military facility (and the entire capital city) from Milton Obote’s loyalist soldiers.For long the army had been divided between Obote’s tribes mates, and the rest of Uganda.
The previous day, the threat had become real when Obote’s group disarmed the rest of the soldiers at Mengo barracks, and locked them up in an attempt to murder and/or kick out all the non-Obote officers.
Being in fear for their lives, the imprisoned soldiers found their way out, broke into the armoury, fought back the whole night, and thwarted Obote’s plan.
They now controlled the entire capital city.
Gen. Idi Amin suddenly appeared at the Mengo barracks the next morning.
While the soldiers had expected a heavy military response, instead here was the head of the country’s army coming alone in his military jeep to listen to them.
This eased the tension and made the soldiers comfortable approaching him and talking to him.
As the Army commander, Gen. Amin had come seeking to understand what exactly caused the revolt. He wanted to assess the damage first hand, hear their grievances, and try to resolve the situation.
The discussion started off quite cordially. But the mood suddenly shifted when the topic changed to what the military code of conduct prescribed for mutineering soldiers.
Through the years, Amin would constantly narrate to us what happened next. He apparently also told Africa Report editor Anthony Hughes 4 years after the actual incident while being interviewed during the Kampala OAU summit: “I was held at gun point and forced to become the President.”
The revolting soldiers told him that if he refused, they would shoot him on the spot.
They had started the revolt to save themselves from Obote’s officers. But they then suddenly realized that they had to go all the way and take over the government from Obote himself, or else they would face a serious backlash, possibly the military court martial and the death sentence, if/when Obote returned from his trip abroad.
All they now needed was a capable, popular leader at the presidency.
Gen. Amin, as Army Commander, and the only senior officer they could trust, perfectly fitted the bill.
On 25th January, the day after the gunpoint incident, Staff Sergent Aswa, the leader of the mutineering soldiers, read an announcement on radio Uganda which ended saying:
“We the soldiers of the Uganda Armed Forces have taken over the government. We have also appointed as president our fellow soldier General Idi Amin Dada.”
The BBC reported cheering crowds in the streets of Kampala immediately after the radio broadcast.
“The people of Uganda are celebrating the demise of President Milton Obote’s government”, the report said.
In a 2012 article for the Telegraph newspaper (UK) Sir Peter Allen, Former Senior Judicial Officer who served in Uganda from 1955 to 1987, also wrote:
“In 1971, while President Obote was in Singapore attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference, a group of soldiers, led by Sergeant-Major Aswa, announced on the radio that they had overthrown the government. This was because they were dissatisfied with Obote who was making life miserable for them. They then asked Amin to take over as President.”
How Milton Obote was brought back again 8 years later after Amin, reveals the exotic ignorance, disorientation, and total disconnect that the so called “liberation forces” and their Tanzanian backers had with the Ugandan people.
And the monumental intellectual gymnastics to legitimize lies and their ideological confusion, continues to this day.
Locally, these are people who profess eloquently during public speeches, yet the mental backwardness in their real lives is quite fantastic.
But from 1966, there was no way Milton Obote could genuinely win any popularity or beauty contest in Uganda.
The peoples dissatisfaction had started back then when Obote overthrew the sitting President Edward Muteesa, abolished all Kingdoms and all traditional leaders across the country, unilaterally banned all political parties, jailed all political opponents, changed the constitution, and summarily appointed himself president.
He also started a nice sectarian government that sought to place only people from his tribe in all key government and army positions under a hillarious 50-year plan called “The Lango Master Plan” (see last link below).
However, in 1971, Amin was not part of any coup d’etat, nor did he ever appoint himself president.
Neither were the Israeli’s, or the British involved.
Gen. Amin was under duress and forced to lead the new military government just before the soldiers publicly announced the takeover on state radio.
The Israeli’s and the British came in to support and recognize the new government after it was declared to the public and the international community.
All the other narratives about how Amin came to power are simply a result of wonderful political hysteria and first class media delirium.
And for the record, one cannot claim to understand the true circumstances under which Amin governed Uganda unless one understands what exactly happened to him on 24th January 1971.
By Hussein Lumumba Amin
Ms Edith Byanyima was summoned on Monday for questioning and later records a statement over allegations of promoting sectarianism and incitement of violence. However she could not make it due to “other commitments”, suggesting that she reports on Tuesday at 10:00am, only not to turn up again.
