A member of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP), the main opposition political party in Uganda, has told Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (D-CDF) Lt Gen Peter Elwelu to arrest first son Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba for engaging in active partisan politics while still a serving army officer.
During his recently concluded 48th birthday celebrations, and through his Twitter account, Lt Gen Kainerugaba made some statements that political observers and some other Ugandans have considered political, yet the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and the UPDF Act bars serving army officers from such political talk and activities.
Last week, city lawyer Gawaya Tegulle dragged Lt Gen Kainerugaba, who is the Commander of UPDF Land Forces, to the Constitutional Court for engaging in politics while still a serving military officer.
Counsel Tegulle, who was years ago fired from state broadcaster UBC for hosting opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, wants the first son prosecuted for treason over his political celebrations and his Twitter statements.
The lawyer argues that Lt Gen Kainerugaba’s supervisor, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, and the chief government legal advisor Attorney General (AG) Kiryowa Kiwanuka (both of whom are respondents in the Muhoozi case), failed to whip and advise the CLF.
During May 11 plenary, NUP MP Ssewungu, who formerly belonged to Norbert Mao’s DP, asked D-CDF to cause the arrest of Lt Gen Kainerugaba.
“I want thank Gen Elwelu but I want to send a question to you, you are the Deputy CDF but Can you arrest Gen Muhoozi who is masquerading around campaigning yet he is still a serving soldier?” Ssewungu addressed the deputy chief of Uganda’s defence forces.
Earlier, Lt Gen Elwelu had apologized to Uganda Police and all Ugandans following an incident in which a UPDF officer assaulted a traffic policeman who refused to clear his way amidst thick traffic jam. (Read Story Here).
Muhoozi and his co-accused — CDF Gen Mbadi and AG Kiwanuka — were expected to file their defence 10 days from May 06 when Tegulle filed his petition in the Constitutional Court. But Muhoozi has described Tegulle as a “small hater,” telling him that the ‘Highest Judge’ was on his side. (Read Story Here).
Opposition politicians have criticized the ‘Muhoozi Project’ and vowed to rally Ugandans to reject it. On May 12, opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye was arrested in Kasangati over a protest against the ‘Museveni-Muhoozi Succession.’ (Read Story Here).
