[Ugnet] Army gets tough on officers

[Matek Opoko]

Army gets tough on officers

CHARLES M. MWANGUHYA

KAMPALA Lt Col. Kasiita Gowa was reported last evening to be the favoured candidate to replace the former Director of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) Brig. Henry Tumukunde (above) as army MP, sources at the Army Council, which sat in Bombo revealed. Tumukunde, now in detention at the officers� mess in Kololo, was forced to resign his seat as army MP for contravening army regulations. A source close to the meeting revealed to Daily Monitor last evening that President Museveni favoures Gowa to replace Tumukundes. Gowa is a member of the Joint Uganda Rwanda Verification Committee established at the height of tensions between the two countries. His major challenger in the parliamentary race is said to be Chief of Military Intelligence, Lt Col James Mugira. The council, which sat from 9:00am until late into the night, is said to have discussed serious disciplinary measures against officers who speak to the press. The Council is also reported to have discussed details of Tumukunde�s on going trial at the Military Court Martial especially over the new set of charges related to his media statements. Council agreed The council yesterday reportedly agreed to act tough on officers speaking to the press. �Any one who speaks to the press without the authorization of the Directorate of Information or the Army Commander, or the Commander in Chief will also be treated like Tumukunde,� a close source quoted one of the officers attending the meeting as saying. Like his former boss, current ISO boss Col. Elly Kayanja, now attending a senior officers course at Kimaka in Jinja is likely to face a probe, especially over an interview he granted to the Weekly Observer newspaper last July. In the interview Kayanja made wide-ranging allegations against colleagues in the army and some government ministers. �They want to shoot me dead because I am investigating corruption,� Kayanja told The Observer. �This country is in grave danger because of corruption. Billions are being stolen and those involved are government ministers.� Powerful ministers He also accused �powerful� ministers of blocking prosecution of corrupt officials. The Council is also reported to have discussed the disappearance of an estimated 1,000 guns during Operation Wembley, which Kayanja commanded to crack down against hardcore criminals in Kampala and some outlying areas. In December, 2004 the acting head of ISO, Mr Issa Mukumbi, ordered all ISO operatives to re-register their guns, an exercise that reportedly exposed the shortage. The Army Council meeting started at 9:00am and was still going on by press time.

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