Intrigue Eating Away Once Mighty UPDF?
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The Monitor (Kampala)
ANALYSIS
July 19, 2004
Posted to the web July 19, 2004
David Kibirige
Kampala
It appears, the camps in the army are based on the bush war, education and economic
muscle, among other things
The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) is now faced with an enemy who is more
formidable than Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
Of late the army has "registered success against LRA" but failed to fight INTRIGUE
within its rank and file. This is the new enemy that Army Commander Lt. Gen. Aronda
Nyakairima has vowed to relentlessly fight.
Sunday Monitor has learnt from high sources that Nyakairima is to act against the
feuding Colonels; Elly Kakande Kayanja and Noble Mayombo. "The Army Commander is to
take action about the feuding between Col. Mayombo and Col. Kayanja. There is intrigue
in the army which must be dealt with," army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza told
Sunday Monitor on Thursday.
Last week Kayanja caused a stir when he accused Mayombo of undermining him to the
extent of trying to influence his ousting from the job. Kayanja alleged that Mayombo
wants to deal with only puppets. Kayanja heads the Internal Security Organisation
(ISO) while Mayombo heads the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
For some time now, the army has had cliques. Former Army Commander Maj. Gen. James
Kazini was accused of "creating an army" within the Uganda People's Defence Forces
(UPDF).
Senior officers like former ESO boss, Brig. Henry Tumukunde are said to have
undermined him for allegedly being lowly educated. On the other hand, Kazini
reportedly said there are no intellectuals in the army because none had produced a
drug to cure HIV/Aids - or made any other scientific invention as proof of their
intellect.
This was the beginning of cliques in the army. Then the "historical" bush war fighters
complained that President Yoweri Museveni was sidelining them in favour of the
"johnnie come lately". The biggest target was Mayombo who joined the bush war in 1985,
a few months before the fall of Kampala.
Many 'historical' fighters have in the recent weeks rallied behind Kayanja as one way
of 'neutralising' Mayombo, whose crime is to be so close to the president; he is
regarded as Museveni's blue-eyed boy. He is also reported to have written several
damning reports about senior officers. For instance when Tumukunde was commander of
the Gulu-based Division 4, Mayombo allegedly prepared a report accusing him of
spending most of his time in Kampala.
Tumukunde was aggrieved because he joined the struggle in 1981 and almost lost his
life. As a machine gunner, he was shot and seriously injured during the bush war - and
limps todate. It appears the camps in the army are based on the bush war, education
and economic muscle, among other issues. Some officers have accumulated so much wealth
that the army leadership has advised them to leave the army and concentrate on their
business interests.
Among Mayombo's positive attributes are: enhancing rationale intellectual debate in
and outside the armed forces, positive image of a young and committed officer,
diplomatic offensive - especially in the Sudan and DR Congo to stem armed rebellion.
He is also a role model for relatively many young aspirants to the officer corps of
the army - who would otherwise be intimidated by 'historical' heavyweights.
On the other hand, with what is considered a modest education, Kayanja is respected
for being an achiever of sorts. He is an historical - from the bush war days. When he
was the head of Mubende Rehabilitation Centre, he transformed it into an
income-generating project. Also, when he was in charge of loans in the army, he helped
many bush war comrades and reportedly never used to ask for kickbacks.
At the height of robberies and murders in 2001, Museveni appointed him to head
Operation Wembley (OW). Kayanja smashed several robbers rackets - even though he left
a lot of blood on the streets. Many of the arrested robbers confessed having been
supplied guns and bullets by army officers. This revelation prompted a meeting between
the Division 1 commander, Brig. Levi Karuhanga and the Inspector General of Police,
Maj. Gen. Katumba Wamala.
Matters even got worse. An operative of OW, one Karungi, was gunned down at the gate
of Makerere University. On the night he was killed, Kayanja had sent a message to all
operatives that they should not move out, after getting a tip that a killer squad from
a rival spy body wanted to avenge the arrest of their man.
So the question was how had the gangsters infiltrated the army? At that level, the
inter-agency rivalry begun to worry President Museveni and he set his investigations
into motion.
Though the Special Bureau of Investigations (SBI) reports to Mayombo, they also
prepared other reports, which they would directly deliver to the president - about
Mayombo and Kayanja. Even the director of Economic Monitoring in ISO, Teddy Cheeye was
said to be preparing reports about senior officers and delivering them directly to
Museveni.
The controversial veteran scribe implicated Mayombo in a scandal involving SWIPCO - a
Swiss procurement firm managed by Robert Mwesigwa. Cheeye alleges that the firm could
have taken an undeserved pay of $20 million, including $6 million from the ministry of
Defence.
Then, following OW's success, Museveni appointed Kayanja as deputy ISO boss working
under Tumukunde. Again the intrigue of the educated versus the uneducated cropped up.
Kayanja and Tumukunde were involved in several wrangles. This prompted the president
to relieve Tumukunde of his duties, making Kayanja the acting head of ISO.
Mayombo apparently believed that Kayanja could not measure up to the job. He was
opposed to his methods of work, some of which were incompatible with established army
procedure. For instance, Kayanja wanted to deploy parallel ISO operatives in the north
and it took Museveni's intervention to stop him. Both Mayombo and Nyakairima told him
not to deploy but he defied them, saying as ISO boss he was answerable only to the
president.
There is a lot of intrigue, character assassination and mudslinging in the army; the
Mayombo-Kayanja saga is just an eye opener.
"Some are pro-Mayombo while others are pro-Kayanja. People should be pro-the good acts
of Kayanja or Mayombo. The differences between the two officers have been
personalised," said Bantariza. He said the feuding is not in the interest of Ugandans.
Mayombo told Sunday Monitor last week that he has nothing personal against Kayanja,
adding that if there are any differences, there is the National Security Council
headed by Internal Affairs Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, which would resolve any
stand-off.
Bantariza says the intrigue is sometimes caused by personal egos. Bantariza says
Nyakairima's action would come soon. He could not, however, tell what action would be
taken. He does not believe in speculation but added that the action would be made
public.
The feuding also took another twist when an ISO operative, Private Godfrey Musisi's
arrest was linked to the bickering. Musisi was arrested, June 6, after he crossed the
Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB) security ring with an allegedly loaded pistol at the
Nile Hotel Gardens - where visiting COMESA region heads were expected the next day. On
Monday Museveni ordered 29 senior officers including Mayombo and Kayanja to go for a
senior officers' course at Kimaka in Jinja.
This was seen as a move to cool the tension between the two feuding officers.
Relevant Links
East Africa
Arms and Military Affairs
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Uganda
Lt. Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho a.k.a Salim Saleh, Lt. Gen. Elly Tumwine, Lt. Gen. David
Tinyefuza, Brig. Julius Oketa, Col. Peter Kerim, Col. Noble Mayombo, Col Geoffrey
Taban Kyabihende, Col. Sam Wasswa, Col. Elly Kayanja, Col. Sam Kawagga, Col. Sula
Ssemakula, Col. Nelson Katagara, Col. Dr. S.K Lwanga, Col. Fred Tolit, and Lt. Col.
Johnson Muma were also sent for studies.
Others are Lt. Col. Jacob Musajjawazza, Lt. Col. Stephen Oloka, Lt. Col. Mbuga Kyeyune
Kojja, Lt. Col. Ronald Kareeba, Lt. Col. Tumusiime Nyakaitana, Lt. Col. John Baptist
Mulindwa, Lt. Col. Emmanuel Mulindwa, Lt. Col. J. Arocha, Lt. Col. Phenihas Katirima,
Lt. Col. S. Okiding, Lt. Col. John Lorot, Maj. S. Muruli, Maj. Stephen Kwiringa, Maj.
Dan Kasula and Maj. Kyakanyi.
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