By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Following President Museveni’s promise to Kisoro people to pardon Gen Kale Kayihura if re-elected, a group of NRM youths earlier this month approached military prosecutors and tasked them to answer whether the process is in progress.
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As a result, therefore, on 2nd February, General Court Martial chairman Lt. General Andrew Gutti was forced to write to the Chief of Defense Forces-CDF inquiring about President Yoweri Museveni’s promise to have the charges against the former police chief, Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura dropped.
“…The above subject matter refers. Attached herein is a list of the group’s leadership as per our voice conversation yesterday. The youth approached me seeking progress on His Excellency’s promise on General Kale Kayihura case before this court while he was conducting his presidential campaign in Kisoro district,” reads Gutti’s February 2nd, 2021 letter in part.
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After receiving Gutti’s letter, CDF, General David Muhoozi, was quickly given another one from a group of youths under Kisoro Development Network titled “NRM Youths (Kisoro Development Network) C/o Gen KK Coordination Network- KDN, that also inquired about the same matter.
Museveni campaigning in Kisoro told a gathering of supporters at Saaza Grounds that he would speak to the military court to have charges against the former police boss dropped. This came after leaders from Kisoro asked the President to look into the charges against their son.
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Background Of The Matter
Gen Kayihura was arrested on June 13, 2018, and held at Makindye Military Barracks for more than two months and was later charged in the General Court Martial on August 24, with two counts of failing to protect war materials and one count of abetting the abduction and illegal repatriation of Rwandan refugees.
But top sources in security agencies say these seemed to have been just holding charges, with the real cause of the arrest being the suspicion that Gen Kayihura could have participated in the killing of Kaweesi on March 17, 2017. Investigators led by the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) had assembled what they called evidence of Gen Kayihura’s participation in the killing that shook the country.
READ ALSO: Kayihura Sends Me Messages To Save Him from Mafias, But I’m Not Willing-Kizza Besigye.
Gen Kayihura was arrested hardly a week after the shooting to death of then Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga on June 8. Under his leadership of the police, about a dozen Muslim clerics were shot dead, most of them in public places and in the full view of the public. The assailants travelled on motorcycles, had assault rifles and carried out their assignments with scary confidence.
Also killed during the same period was Joan Kagezi, a top prosecutor.
TheSpy Uganda learnt that over the recent years, the evidence assembled by ISO to incriminate Gen Kayihura crumbled into pieces, shifting the spotlight to ISO and in the process, softening President Museveni’s stance towards Gen Kayihura.
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At some point after the firing of Gen Kayihura, President Museveni said the police under the General had been infested with weevils.
Towards the end of Gen Kayihura’s reign as police chief, the President publicly castigated his once most trusted blue-eyed boy over the spiralling crime in the country and urged him to deal with what he called ‘criminals’ in the police force.
