Retired Gen David Sejusa has questioned the treatment of former military officers compared with civilian public servants, recalling the difficult conditions under which the original National Resistance Army fighters served Uganda and weighing in on the successive government changing the rules that once restricted soldiers from engaging in business.
Sejusa, formerly known as David Tinyefuza, made the remarks while responding to a social media claim that a Ugandan general had received a retirement package of as much as Shs10 billion.
“10bn, hahaha!” Sejusa wrote.
He said the claim prompted him to break a personal rule against discussing his finances publicly.
“Let me break my Oath of not mentioning my personal things on X,” he said.
The retired general has had one of the longest and most eventful careers among the officers who emerged from Uganda’s 1981–1986 bush war.
Before joining the rebellion, Sejusa had served in the Uganda Police Force. He later joined the National Resistance Army, fighting alongside the forces led by President Yoweri Museveni before they captured Kampala in January 1986.
Following the NRA victory, Sejusa rose rapidly through the military ranks and became one of the senior officers in the new army. He also served in government, including as Minister of State for Defence and later as a senior presidential adviser involved in intelligence and security matters.
His career, however, was not without controversy.
In 1996, then Maj Gen Tinyefuza attempted to resign from the army, setting off a lengthy legal and political battle over his retirement. His attempt to leave the military would remain unresolved for years, with his eventual retirement coming decades after his initial bid to quit.
His struggle to leave the army as one of the country’s longest-running disputes involving a senior military officer.
Sejusa has now used his retirement experience to question the assumption that retired military officers who own homes, cars or land must necessarily have accumulated their wealth dishonestly.
He argued that the circumstances facing the original NRA fighters were fundamentally different from those of officers who entered the military establishment later.
“So those officers have been EARNING A LIVING FOR 40 YEARS, 30, 20…getting paid…. Some as MPs, others are ambassadors, others are Senior Commanders, etc, for 20, 30, 40 years,” he said.
“And also doing Business…”
Sejusa said business activities were not initially permitted for NRA officers.
“For us, ORIGINAL NRA, IT WAS ILLEGAL TO ENGAGE IN BUSINESS,” he wrote, arguing that politicians later changed the rules.
“Your politicians removed it….so Soldiers also became TRADERs LIKE YOU….”
He said this change created opportunities for later generations of officers to earn money outside their military salaries.
But Sejusa said the original fighters endured years of hardship before the NRA took power.
“We worked for FREE for 5 years of War; no pay, no food, no drugs, and burying comrades EVERYDAY!” he wrote.
“Then we came and were paid peanuts..”
His comments also took aim at what he described as preferential treatment given to some civilian retirees and senior public officials.
“No medical cover, no Car, no House, no furniture, etc.. like they give those civilian retirees/Judges, Prime Minister, Vice…” he said.
“They even take them abroad for medical care, for us, NOTHING…!!”
Sejusa then turned to the retirement package he personally received after decades in the military.
“My whole retirement package, pension etc, for 46 years of FIGHTING for Uganda was 1.2bn…ONE.. not TEN,” he revealed.
He emphasised that the amount was a one-off payment.
“One, off…(which some people make in one day),” he said.
Apparently anticipating that some readers could mistake the figure for dollars, Sejusa added: “It is UG Shillings, ofcourse; thought it was $!”
He insisted that the records could be checked with the relevant government institutions.
“The records are there in DEFENCE & FINANCE…go check it….” he said.
Sejusa concluded by challenging those who believe that long-serving military officers should remain poor despite decades of service.
“Yet, you fellows come and become Ministers, MPs, PSs, Commissioners, etc for just 10 years and you drive nice cars, build hotels & fly 1st class,” he said.
“But an officer who has served his country for 40, 30, 20 years should remain poor?”
You can read about the juicy retirement packages for former speakers and former vice presidents Here and There.
