The former Coordinator of Intelligence, Gen. David Sejusa aka Tinyefuza has said he warned President Yoweri Museveni as early as 1996 not to downgrade into past regimes of Idi Amin and Apollo Milton Obote.
In an interview with Eagle Online, Gen. Sejusa said during a 1996 heated high command meeting of the army, he challenged Mr Museveni to quit power in that same year but Museveni didn’t adhere to him. Gen.Sejusa says he instead ‘I told him to rather relegate himself to past presidents’.
“I asked him to pave way for Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere in that meeting because I said sir, why don’t you take this chance of turning Uganda back to democracy and leave Mzee Ssemogerere to takeover so that we retrieve back and help him from the back? However, I didn’t know that my suggestion angered him and few colleagues.” Gen. Sejusa said.
Mzee Ssemogerere had served as Internal Affairs Minister in the earlier cabinet of President Museveni but had resigned in 1995 to contest 1996 elections.
“After my suggestion, he said he had annoyed him by comparing him to Amin and Obote and before, I knew Pecos Kutesa had jumped up asking me to withdraw or to apologize but I remained firm” Gen. Sejusa said in reference to the events unfolding in the country.
Sejusa further elaborated that “At the time, I asked both Museveni and Kutesa what they would do if Ssemogerere defeated them? Fail to handover, call the army to beat citizens or hike power from Ssemogerere? And off course they all agreed that they wouldn’t handover power. And that to me indicated the situation was headed for worse”.
Sejusa says he is now vindicated by events as situation is likened to both regimes of Amin and Obote.
“We didn’t have to get here, and yes, Museveni was a good man who used to listen and was never corrupt because he was idealistic but I don’t know what went wrong? Corruption is at the peak and the country is bleeding and yet leaders aren’t listening and so who will rescue Uganda?
Gen. Sejusa is known for his frankness and he has fallen out with the establishment several times with the latest being in 2013, when he authored a document to Internal Security Organisation (ISO) Director General asking him to investigate allegations that there was a plot to assassinate those against the ‘Muhoozi Project’.