IN KAMPALA: TINYEFUZA SAYS HE'S READY TO LEAD UGANDA

BBC’s Charles Hillary (L) interviews Gen David Sejusa in London yesterday. Courtesy PHOTO 

By TABU BUTAGIRA

Renegade spymaster David Sejusa, originally Tinyefuza, yesterday broke his silence about his alleged interest to lead Uganda, declaring that a “four-star general without ambitions must be in the wrong place”.

In an interview at BBC London studio, aired on the Focus on Africa programme last evening, Gen Sejusa accused President Museveni of seeking a life presidency --- a “political monarchy”. “This project should be taken away from the son, really the son is a tiny factor; the central issue is a political monarchy; a life presidency and then transiting in a political monarch…,” he said.

Asked if he would rule out an interest in becoming Uganda’s President, Sejusa quipped: “Why should I? I have no regrets for that. Seriously speaking, a four star general without ambitions, you must be in the wrong place.”
He added: “Who gave Mr Museveni the right to rule over us forever?”

‘Coward’
Mr Ofwono Opondo, the executive director of Uganda Media Centre, in a rejoinder during the same programme branded Gen Sejusa, the ex-coordinator of Uganda’s Intelligence agencies, a “coward” who should return home if he has done no wrong.

“The accusations are empty. There is no project by President Museveni to have his son replace him as President of Uganda …” he said, referring to the spymaster’s claims that Mr Museveni is grooming his son, Brig Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who commands the elite Special Forces, to succeed him.
Gen Sejusa said the governance system in Uganda had become “decadent and perverse” that President Museveni, in power since 1986, is now being worshipped like God.

“This is the point of saying: Enough is enough.”
The general, who is an army MP and sits on the Military High Command is “a free man to return, if he’s not a coward,” according to Mr Opondo. Gen Sejusa claimed that officers harbouring political ambitions are blocked from leaving UPDF as a means to contain them through military laws. He said: “It is a very dangerous process, we are all clogged up with people who are not useful sitting on a chair with no job and being paid for it. He (Museveni) is using it as a political weapon.”

Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, the military spokesman, told the Daily Monitor last night that by speaking out to the media without “proper authorisation”, Gen Sejusa breached the UPDF Act and would be prosecuted.

“Our position is that he had an opportunity to raise these concerns in the right forum and he did not do that, Lt Col Ankunda said, “Now that he has decided to raise them in the wrong forum, he should as a lawyer know that he is answerable for that kind of conduct because he has definitely violated the UPDF Act, which implores service member to seek for proper authorisation before making public statements.”

Under investigation
He confirmed that Gen Sejusa was still under investigation for possible “civil criminality” and by the chieftaincy of military intelligence over suspicions of breaking military law.

The spokesman said one “can’t use unconstitutional means to over throw a democracy that Uganda is”. Gen Sejusa’s interview at BBC’s London studios comes weeks after the British government said he was not in the United Kingdom and that they never knew his whereabouts.