How Kayihura, Muhoozi were promoted after pinning Besigye

When Dr Kizza Besigye was the chief of logistics and engineering in Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in early 1997, he was a military rank higher than Kale Kayihura. He was a colonel while Kayihura was a lieutenant colonel.

But by September, Besigye and Kayihura were at the same rank of colonel. Then in November 2001 when Besigye had spent three months in exile, President Yoweri Museveni promoted Kayihura to one-star general (brigadier). And while at the rank of brigadier, Kayihura served as the military assistant to President Museveni, chief political commissar of UPDF and overseer of UPDF troops in Ituri, DR Congo.

It is imperative to note that the UPDF was deployed in Bunia and the other parts of Ituri following the outbreak of the Second Congo War on August 2, 1998. The war resulted from a disagreement between the DR Congo president, Laurent Kabila and his former allies, Uganda and Rwanda, which had enabled him to overthrow Mobutu on May 16, 1997.

At the start of the Second Congo War, Uganda and Rwanda backed the anti-Laurent Kabila rebels of Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD), headed by Prof. Wamba dia Wamba. RCD members included Mbusa Nyamwisi and Dr Emile Illunga. In the eighth month of the Second Congo War, RCD split into two factions — RCD Goma, headed by Illunga and RCD Kisangani, led by Wamba. Rwanda sided with RCD-Goma and Uganda backed RCD-Kisangani.

Owing to those divisions, Uganda and Rwanda troops clashed in Kisangani from June 5-10, 2000. Amidst the clashes, the elderly Wamba fled to Bunia for safety. And while there, he conflicted with Mbusa over the leadership of RCD-Kisangani.

Thus, Mbusa founded RCD Movement for Liberation (RCD-ML), which received the backing of UPDF officers like Col Noble Mayombo, the Chief of Military Intelligence. That’s why UPDF officers advised Wamba to leave Bunia for Tanzania and resume lecturing at university. Brig. Katumba Wamala was the first to talk to Wamba about it, but he declined.

Then Col Kahinda Otafiire intervened and convinced Wamba. With Wamba gone, Mbusa lobbied for support from the two rivalling tribes in Bunia — the Hema and Lendu. These tribes have been conflicting over land since 1911.

Among the Hema is Thomas Lubanga, whom Mbusa appointed minister of defence in RCD-ML. President Kabila (Laurent) exploited these tribal conflicts and armed the Lendu to fight Mbusa’s RCD-ML, Hema and the UPDF.

In 2000, tribal tensions worsened over Mbusa’s appointment of Jean Pierre Molondo Lompondo as the military governor of Ituri; something that angered Lubanga and his Hema tribe-mates. Lubanga left Mbusa’s RCD-ML in July 2001 and operated the Union of Patriotic Congolese (UPC). And in April 2002, Lubaga’s UPC agents killed Mbusa’s bodyguard. Later in July 2002, they attacked the convoy of Mbusa’s appointed governor, Molondo, but were unable to murder him. The UPC then launched an aggressive war against the RCD-ML and overran parts of Bunia.

On November 15, 2002, Uganda was unsuccessful in its effort to reconcile Lubanga and Mbusa in Kampala. Then on January 6, 2003, Lubanga signed a secret co-operation deal with Rwanda; something that qualified him and his UPC as an enemy of Uganda/UPDF. In fact, Uganda’s outspoken director general of the External Security Organisation,

David Pulkol, said: “UPC is a mere smoke-screen for Rwandan army.”

With Rwanda’s urging, UPC planned an invasion on UPDF bases in Bunia, Ituri. Before that, UPC took hostage Capt. Birungi, an intelligence officer of UPDF. They also took Kayihura hostage for five-and-a-half hours. And once released, Kayihura credited Maj. Gen. Salim Saleh for his release. By crediting Saleh, Kayihura embarrassed Kazini, who had claimed to have used sh61m “UPDF ghost soldiers’ money” for Kayihura’s release from UPC captivity.

On March 5, 2003, a day to UPC’s intended attack on UPDF bases, Lubanga’s intelligence officer, Ali, defected to UPDF and disclosed the UPC-Rwanda attack plan. Kayihura and the commanding officer of UPDF’s 53rd battalion in

Bunia, Maj. David Muhoozi (now the Minister of State for Internal Affairs), acted upon that information and heavily deployed at Dele and around airfields like Fataki and Bule, where Rwanda was meant to send reinforcements for UPC fighters. And when the UPC attacked on March 6, the UPDF repulsed them.

Pinning Besigye

After the fighting, the UPDF spokesperson, Maj. Shaban Bantariza, told IRIN news agency:

“It is true that there was a foreign force fighting against our troops in the eastern town of Bunia when they attacked our forces, but I cannot name the force. This force, of course, has not been on good terms with us for some time now, but at least we managed to repulse them all, together with the rebels.”

Besigye was accused of involvement in the People's Redemption Army rebel group.

But in a letter dated April 8, 2003, with reference S/2003/413, which the Government gave Ambassador Prof. Semakula Kiwanuka to deliver to the president of UN Security Council, Adolfo Aguilar, it mentioned Rwanda. It stated: “Uganda is concerned at the threats posed by Rwanda and its proxy UPC. Uganda has evidence that the plan by Rwanda and its proxy UPC, which led to the attacks on UPDF positions on March 6, 2003, included simultaneous launching of a Ugandan rebel group called the PRA (Peoples Redemption Army). Indeed, 22 PRA dissidents were captured and they confessed that they were supported by Rwanda.”

The contents of the aforesaid letter were given to President Museveni, Amama Mbabazi, James Wapakhabulo and Mayombo by Kayihura and Muhoozi (David) who were based in Bunia. They, for example, briefed the President that UPDF captured 30 PRA fighters and Maj. Tom Mugizi and Capt. Muhammed Kiwanuka, who had defected from the UPDF military intelligence department and the 35^th battalion, respectively. They also told the President that the PRA had set up its base at Kwandruma in Ituri.

They named Besigye as the PRA head and that Col Edison Muzoora, Lt Col Antony Kyakabale and Samson Mande, were his ground commanders.

Earlier on, Kayihura and Muhoozi had told Mayombo that Besigye sought collaboration with Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). That’s why in August 2002, Mayombo told Museveni that Besigye instructed Capt. Magid and Lt Mugerwa to set up rebel camps in northern Uganda and that those rebels were receiving Besigye’s logistics through James Opoka. After making that brief to the President, Mayombo bragged at Nakasero: “I can tell you where Besigye went yesterday, looking for what, who he met, who he failed to meet and why?”

Promotions

President Museveni was happy with the way Muhoozi (David) commanded the anti-UPC/Rwanda attack in Bunia and, therefore, promoted him from major to lieutenant colonel in April 2003. He also appointed Muhoozi as the base commandant of Entebbe, replacing Lt Col Peter Nyakairu.

Also, when Kayihura finished his assignment in the DR Congo, Museveni appointed him Inspector General of Police in 2005. Then on November 14, when Besigye was arrested following his return from exile in South Africa, Kayihura justified the arrest in the following public statement he issued: “The Director of Public Prosecutions has sanctioned that Dr Besigye be charged with treason under section 23 of the Penal Code. Dr Besigye, together with 22 others, are accused of conducting recruitment, mobilising arms and other logistical information to levy war against the Republic of Uganda under a rebel organisation called the People’s Redemption Army (PRA). In addition, he and others are accused of links with the Lord’s Resistance Army, listed as an international terrorist organisation.

“Dr Besigye was arrested today at about 12:45pm at Busega near Kampala and taken to Central Police Station. From there, he was charged and remanded in Luzira Prison. He will be committed for trial in the High Court tomorrow. The arrest follows the completion of inquiries by the Criminal Investigations Department. The Director of Public Prosecutions is now ready with prosecution.

“Investigations into Dr Besigye’s involvement in an armed rebellion started in 2003, when 22 PRA rebel suspects were arrested in the DR Congo. Other rebel suspects were later arrested in Imaramagambo Forest in western Uganda and in West Nile.

“Evidence obtained from the arrests linked Dr Besigye to the rebel activities of the PRA. In addition to this, former LRA commanders, who have since abandoned the rebellion, have provided credible evidence of links between Besigye’s Reform Agenda group and LRA.

“The return of Dr Besigye made it possible to proceed with the prosecution. His public statements, justifying violence and refusing to renounce armed rebellion, confirmed the suspicion that he was actively involved in acts of war against Uganda.”