Don’t politicise Besigye’s health — ex-spy master Sejusa

KAMPALA - The former co-ordinator of intelligence services, Gen (rtd) David Sejusa, has warned against politicising Dr Kizza Besigye’s health.

In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, on February 18, 2025, Sejusa asked the Opposition to “delink Besigye health from your partisan political goals”.

“Don't tie getting him medical care with overthrowing [President Yoweri] Museveni’s government, like I see many doing. That is just muddle-headedness and tactical ignorance! If you do, then I’m afraid you are jeopardising Besigye’s life at the present moment,” he said.

Case against Besigye

The former spymaster argued that if the State has a case against Besigye, they will not free him as the Opposition figures are demanding.

“And I don’t think Besigye is looking for forgiveness or surrender, rather, to be taken before a competent court where his innocence can be proven. So, the clutter of ‘free Besigye’ is misplaced. It should be ‘take Besigye before a competent court (high court) to get bail and let Besigye have medical care’,” he said.

He, however, said he sees many of the Opposition “running all over the place like headless chickens, displaying coffin pictures”.

The frail-looking Besigye and his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale were on February 19, 2025, produced in the High Court’s civil division in Kampala following a habeas corpus application by their lawyers.

They have been on remand in Luzira Prison over charges that include possessing two pistols and eight bullets.

They are also standing trial for soliciting military support overseas to destabilise Uganda’s national security.

They were arrested in Kenyan capital Nairobi on November 16, 2024, while they were allegedly heading for the launch of National Rainbow Coalition party leader Martha Karua’s book.

Gen (rtd) David Sejusa

Political power fight

Sejusa also noted that when there were celebrations after the recent Supreme Court judgment stopping the trial of civilians in military courts, he warned that the battle was far from over.

“I warned that trashing army courts was a diversion. I warned then, as I do now, that this fight is beyond law, courts, judges and even rights. Underneath all the high-sounding words of freedom, rights, etc., lies a fight for political power,” he said.

He argued that that is what makes this fight lethal, even existential for some people.

“That means it cannot be won by posting coffins and photos of Besigye. The present contestation becomes even more complex and dangerous because it seeks to restructure the military as an institution of State,” he said.

Sejusa also stated that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces took blood to build and it can safely be restructured by consensus, not “recklessly running roughshod over anyone with different views. If cool heads don’t come forward to help, it may lead to spilling more blood,” he warned.

He contended that this (spilling blood) is a real possibility.

“The current standoff is, therefore, beyond legalities… So, this is a fundamental fight which, it seems, few are even capable of comprehending. Ignorance and indiscipline of ‘keyboard warriors’, insults and blackmail don’t win wars; numbers, ideas and conviction do,” he said.

Sejusa observed that at the end of the day, political fights, whether for freedom, rights, or even life like in the case of Besigye, become a game of numbers and ideas… The approach of ‘you must join us, or you are damned’ is childish and stupid and is for clowns not equipped with knowledge of how to win political struggles,” he argued.

This said it narrows the political base and support and alienates people who would join you out of conviction, so you are left with kwala-kwalas (riff-raffs). People who join the struggle don’t have to love Besigye, or even be his friend; the majority owe him nothing. They too have their own struggles and trials,” he said.

So, he told the Opposition to stop being presumptuous and arrogant.

“It is these you alienate who form the critical mass, without which you are just clowning. So, stop insulting people. People don’t have to support you; they can even join the opposite side, it’s their right. So, convince them, don’t insult and intimidate, because you have no power over them except by persuasion. If you continue like that, you will call a demonstration and only 30 will turn up,” he warned.

Sejusa recalled that when he was detained over insubordination and absence without official leave, among others, some Ugandans agitated for his release but “I continued lying in Luzira [Prison] and Makindye [Military Barracks] for two months and remained in the army for another 10 yrs until Museveni retired me”.

He was officially retired on August 31, 2022, at a function organised at State House, Entebbe, by President Museveni.