Besigye: Nobody Should Judge ‘Dead Gen Elly Tumwine’ or Celebrate His Death

Opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has spoken out on the death of former security minister Gen Elly Tumwine. 

Gen Tumwine died at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday, August 25.

Though in the opposition today, Besigye, a retired colonel of the national army, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), was part of Gen Yoweri Museveni’s five-year National Resistance Army (NRA) bush war for which Gen Tumwine fired the first shot at Kabamba.

A number of mostly opposition leaning social media users have been celebrating Gen Tumwine’s death, especially relying on his 2020 statement in which he said police had the right to shoot protesters.

But Besigye says it is not prudent to judge Tumwine when has already breathed his last and cannot file or submit his defence. He adds that only God has the authority and right to judge the deceased general from Kazo.

“I wouldn’t wish us to judge the dead, leave judgement to our God. Judging the dead who can’t defend themselves isn’t fair. God is the only judge, because, in most cases, when people are at their weakest, they tend to return to God and some repent and regret,” Besigye told Digitalk’s Interface.

“It’s right to judge people when they are still alive. It is fine to accuse them and demand their defence when they are alive. But once they die, the opportunity to defend themselves is lost. We commit the dead to Almighty judge for final judgement. Let’s commit Gen. Tumwine to God.”

Besigye castigated those celebrating Tumwine’s death. He said God makes the final decision on when some people will die and how long each one will live.

“From what I have heard people say many times when we lose prominent people, I wish to encourage Ugandans to stop judging the dead. I am a believer, and know that we are all descendants of Adam, and so children of God. Let’s leave judgement of the dead to the Almighty,” he continued.

“I believe God is our creator and He decides when He calls us. God knows everything, our human understanding is limited but God’s knowledge and understanding is limitless. Judging the dead when they have departed has no justification.”

Besigye was one of the prominent Ugandans that blasted Gen Elly Tumwine for telling Museveni to prepare for a peaceful transition or wait to become a ‘Ngamba-Nyenka’ (dictator) and plunge Uganda into Libya-like chaos. (Read Story Here).

Meanwhile, Besigye’s wife Winnie Byanyima has revealed that Gen Elly Tumwine apologized to her long before he died. (See Details Here).

Gen Elly Tumwine Should Be Buried in Kololo — Senior Museveni Government Official