Tumukunde arrested over media remarks
Brig. Henry Tumukunde was arrested on Saturday for violating army laws prohibiting serving officers from giving media interviews, the army said.
By Emmy Allio
Brig. Henry Tumukunde was arrested on Saturday for violating army laws prohibiting serving officers from giving media interviews, the army said.
However, other sources said he was the prime suspect in the leaking of a High Command report on ghost soldiers to the press and that it was the immediate cause of his arrest.
Tumukunde, a former military intelligence and Internal Security Organisation chief, was arrested from a residence in Kololo, a posh Kampala suburb.
Army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said yesterday, “Investigations will be concluded in a few days and he will be court-martialled.â€
Schedule 5 Clause 2(j) of the Act states: “A member of the Defence Forces shall not make public statements to journalists without proper authorisation.â€
Clause 2(l) states, “A member of the Defence Forces shall not give public speeches or broadcast public statements without permission.â€
Military police yesterday patrolled the Acacia (John Babiiha) Avenue in Kololo where Tumukunde is detained. Friends, army officers and relatives were reportedly barred from seeing him.
He was picked from his Impala Avenue house in Kololo at 7:00pm. The arrest was reportedly carried out after a meeting between Tumukunde and Chief of Staff Maj Gen Joshua Masaba, Chief Political Commissar Brig Kale Kaihura and the acting Chief of Military Intelligence James Mugira.
The Monitor yesterday reported that Tumukunde was forced to sign a statement ordering him to resign as an army representative in the Parliament.
Bantariza said Tumukunde was cautioned over his public utterances “but has insisted and consistently issued controversial political statements.â€
“The army leadership has decided to establish what he is up to through the court. His charges may be based on all these violations and conduct,†Bantariza said.
Asked whether the arrest was linked to the leakage of a High Command document on ghost soldiers to The Weekly Observer, Bantariza said, “We shall investigate and establish his connections.â€
“Court will exonerate or convict him on his own plea or defence,†he said.
Sources yesterday said Tumukunde may be charged for a saying that “Museveni must go.†A source said a serving officer must at all times pay allegiance to the incumbent president. “Tumukunde’s statement is tantamount to inciting soldiers to mutiny,†the source said.
The source said Tumukunde would face charges over statements on April 30, on CBS in which he accused the leadership of blocking him from retiring.
Tumukunde said, “For politics, I am not NRM (headed by Museveni). When I retire, I do not think I will join NRM. I will look for a party that has brilliant ideas.†He said the People’s Alliance Party (PAP) was one such party. PAP was formed by his former aide.
Tumukunde told CBS that he was a prisoner. “When you are offering labour, you must give it freely and when you choose not to offer the labour, people must consider these as your views and they allow you to leave,†he said.
Bantariza last week said Tumukunde’s application to retire would not be considered because he submitted it after he was charged with creating ghosts.
Bantariza said the army is an institution where rules must be strictly observed.
The Weekly Observer reported that sh600b was lost to army ghosts, quoting a document, considered top secret, which was suspected to have been leaked.
Sources said security agencies had wanted a court order to stop The Weekly Observer story. “But it was too late,†the source said.
The document made reference to the strength of the army, existence of ghost soldiers and recommended the death penalty for ghost creators. It also cited cliques in the army and a semi-autonomous unit allegedly created by former army commander Maj. Gen. James Kazini.
Museveni in December 2003 ordered the prosecution of 28 army officers over the findings of the report.
The officers include Kazini and Brigadiers Henry Tumukunde, Steven Hashaka, Nakibus Lakara and Julius Oketa.
Others are Colonels Poteli Kivuna, John Mugume, Fred Tolit, Mark Kodili and Andrew Gutti (now a Brigadier).
Ends
Brig. Henry Tumukunde was arrested on Saturday for violating army laws prohibiting serving officers from giving media interviews, the army said.
However, other sources said he was the prime suspect in the leaking of a High Command report on ghost soldiers to the press and that it was the immediate cause of his arrest.
Tumukunde, a former military intelligence and Internal Security Organisation chief, was arrested from a residence in Kololo, a posh Kampala suburb.
Army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said yesterday, “Investigations will be concluded in a few days and he will be court-martialled.â€
Schedule 5 Clause 2(j) of the Act states: “A member of the Defence Forces shall not make public statements to journalists without proper authorisation.â€
Clause 2(l) states, “A member of the Defence Forces shall not give public speeches or broadcast public statements without permission.â€
Military police yesterday patrolled the Acacia (John Babiiha) Avenue in Kololo where Tumukunde is detained. Friends, army officers and relatives were reportedly barred from seeing him.
He was picked from his Impala Avenue house in Kololo at 7:00pm. The arrest was reportedly carried out after a meeting between Tumukunde and Chief of Staff Maj Gen Joshua Masaba, Chief Political Commissar Brig Kale Kaihura and the acting Chief of Military Intelligence James Mugira.
The Monitor yesterday reported that Tumukunde was forced to sign a statement ordering him to resign as an army representative in the Parliament.
Bantariza said Tumukunde was cautioned over his public utterances “but has insisted and consistently issued controversial political statements.â€
“The army leadership has decided to establish what he is up to through the court. His charges may be based on all these violations and conduct,†Bantariza said.
Asked whether the arrest was linked to the leakage of a High Command document on ghost soldiers to The Weekly Observer, Bantariza said, “We shall investigate and establish his connections.â€
“Court will exonerate or convict him on his own plea or defence,†he said.
Sources yesterday said Tumukunde may be charged for a saying that “Museveni must go.†A source said a serving officer must at all times pay allegiance to the incumbent president. “Tumukunde’s statement is tantamount to inciting soldiers to mutiny,†the source said.
The source said Tumukunde would face charges over statements on April 30, on CBS in which he accused the leadership of blocking him from retiring.
Tumukunde said, “For politics, I am not NRM (headed by Museveni). When I retire, I do not think I will join NRM. I will look for a party that has brilliant ideas.†He said the People’s Alliance Party (PAP) was one such party. PAP was formed by his former aide.
Tumukunde told CBS that he was a prisoner. “When you are offering labour, you must give it freely and when you choose not to offer the labour, people must consider these as your views and they allow you to leave,†he said.
Bantariza last week said Tumukunde’s application to retire would not be considered because he submitted it after he was charged with creating ghosts.
Bantariza said the army is an institution where rules must be strictly observed.
The Weekly Observer reported that sh600b was lost to army ghosts, quoting a document, considered top secret, which was suspected to have been leaked.
Sources said security agencies had wanted a court order to stop The Weekly Observer story. “But it was too late,†the source said.
The document made reference to the strength of the army, existence of ghost soldiers and recommended the death penalty for ghost creators. It also cited cliques in the army and a semi-autonomous unit allegedly created by former army commander Maj. Gen. James Kazini.
Museveni in December 2003 ordered the prosecution of 28 army officers over the findings of the report.
The officers include Kazini and Brigadiers Henry Tumukunde, Steven Hashaka, Nakibus Lakara and Julius Oketa.
Others are Colonels Poteli Kivuna, John Mugume, Fred Tolit, Mark Kodili and Andrew Gutti (now a Brigadier).
Ends