ISO Probes Maj Mutale

May 14, 2002

Internal Security Organisation (ISO) chief Brig. Henry Tumukunde said yesterday President Yoweri Museveni has ordered Maj. Kakooza Mutale’s Kalangala Action Plan (KAP) investigated.

By Joyce NamutebiInternal Security Organisation (ISO) chief Brig. Henry Tumukunde said yesterday President Yoweri Museveni has ordered Maj. Kakooza Mutale’s Kalangala Action Plan (KAP) investigated.Tumukunde also said he planned to screen ISO staff before the end of this month. He said 62 operatives had been laid off. He gave no names. Tumukunde was answering questions from the parliamentary probe committee on election violence in Kampala.The committee is chaired by Augustine Nshimye. Tumukunde said he was investigating Kakooza Mutale and KAP. “The President instituted an investigation body and I’m one of those investigating,” he said without giving details.Charles Bakabulindi (Workers) had asked Tumukunde to explain KAP operations.Tumukunde said ISO is a civil body largely made of civilians, operating underhand to gather and process intelligence.Mbabazi Kabushenga (Kinkiizi East) also asked Tumukunde about the relationship between ISO and other security agencies.Tumukunde said KAP was a matter for the Police chief Maj Gen Katumba Wamala. “I think the Kakooza Mutale thing is over-amplified. If more research was put in it, there is nothing crucial about it.”He said KAP was not constituted by law. He said KAP members do not even have identity cards. “You give him (Mutale) a lot of temperature for nothing,” he said adding, “Tell him to tackle me, I would trim him.”Tumukunde was invited to explain how much his office is involved in election processes and what role he played in the last elections as the 4th Division commander for northern region. He was asked to describe the relationship between resident district commissioners (RDCs) and district internal security officers (DISOs) and the causes of election violence.Kabushenga asked Tumukunde about the quality of his field personnel, how he recruits and trains them and their level of political awareness.Nshimye said in many districts where the committee went, DISOs were accused of campaigning for certain candidates, intimidation and staging roadblocks. Tumukunde said such cases should be forwarded to him for scrutiny. On the quality of his officers, he called for enough facilitation of ISO. “We MPs earn well why don’t you make security forces earn well?” he asked. “We don’t enjoy some of these jobs. We do them as a matter of obligation,” he added.He said if an army officer wanted to stand for the presidency, he should “lay himself out of the Army early enough and join the civil structure. Then over time, you can raise your ambitions,” he said.Ends

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});