Kapir county: CDF petitioned over serving soldier’s political ambitions
Mar 08, 2024
“From the time, I joined parliament, this officer has continuously engaged himself in politics to the extent that he has affected my performance if I may so,” he lamented.
Abraham Isamat (Kapir county, NRM MP during the Human rights committee meeting on 06 March 2024. (Photos by Miriam Namutebi)
Dedan Kimathi
Journalist @New Vision
____________________ incent Ssempijja, Minister of Defence and Caroline Kamusiime, Woman MP Rukiga leave after a Human Rights committee meeting on 06 March 2024 Rose Obigah, Terego woman MP during a Human rights committee meeting on 06 March 2024. Fox Odoi, Chairperson Human rights committee during a meeting on 06 March 2024. Vincent Ssempijja, Minister of Defense appearing before the Human rights committee on 06 March 2024.
As the clock races to the 2026 polls, several incumbent legislators are growing worried about retaining their seats in the next election cycle.
In the latest twist of events, Dr Abraham Isamat (Kapir county, NRM), a first-term lawmaker has petitioned the army leadership to rein in one Enyeku Simon Julius. Isamat accuses the latter who is still in army uniform of trying to unseat him.
The lawmaker brought this to the attention of Defense Minister Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempija on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. This was during an interface with the human rights committee chaired by Fox Odoi Oyelwowo (West Budama North, NRM).
“From the time, I joined parliament, this officer has continuously engaged himself in politics to the extent that he has affected my performance if I may so,” he lamented.
“I want to inform the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) team that I have written to the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) but the officer has continued. He has agents who are advertising him in every place in the constituency,” Isamat added.
This, he says offends provisions within the UPDF Act 2005 which bars serving soldiers from immersing in partisan politics and the supreme law of the land. At the moment, Isamat says it is his right to eat and the soldier should wait for retirement.
“So we are talking about human rights, for now, it is my right to be in parliament and it is also his right to serve in the forces. So if he wants to come to be a politician, let him wait for that time when he will resign and then he will come and participate,” he argued.
His submission drew laughter from MPs including the committee chairperson Fox Odoi who wondered how an official as powerful as MP could whine over a low-ranking soldier.
“You get worried over a warrant officer, honorable?” Odoi posed.
However, Isamat fired back saying, Enyeku cannot be taken for granted.
“I cannot underrate or undermine any army person. I know what happened in Ngora in 2021, we almost lost someone there so this is a serious matter and it is also very interesting that the very officer was involved in that attack in 2021,” he explained.
Isamat added “He was with I think another two officers, one of them unfortunately died in an accident. So we are already seeing signals whereby 2026 if this officer is not tamed, things can easily be bad.”
Defense responds
Minister for Defense and Veteran Affairs (MODVA) Minister Ssempija promised to follow up on this and other related matters.
“We have received these queries, since you are short of time, still we are going to give answers to them. We are going to write, but nobody is above the law whether it is a General who is torturing people,” Ssempija assured.
He added that “we don’t have solidarity in crime in UPDF. If somebody has made his whatever he knows what is good or bad, he must carry his cross.”
Who is Dr Isamat Abraham?
Born on November 4, 1972; Isamat first took a shot at politics in 2011 when he contested in the Ngora county race. Unfortunately, he lost to DR. Francis Epetait of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) with a margin of 177 votes.
He petitioned the courts in vain. Shortly after, he was appointed as Uganda’s ambassador to Sudan in 2016.
Between 2017-2021, Isamat served as the district veterinary officer of Ngora.
Concerning education, Isamat went to Kamwokya Primary School, Ngora High School for O’level, and Soroti Secondary School for A’level.
Isamat possesses a Bachelor of Science in veterinary medicine from Makerere University he attained in 2001.
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