Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda has spoken out on Gen. Sejusa’s arrest that took place in the early hours of Sunday Morning. Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda who was speaking during NTV Premium Talk show The Fourth Estate on Sunday hosted by Charles Mwanguhya Mpagi revealed that Gen. David Sejusa has been making a lot of statements in partisan platforms and the media and yet he is still a serving army officer.
Gen. Sejusa violated the UPDF Code of conduct because he has been inconsistent and yet he is a serving army officer. He has consistently accused President Museveni of rigging the 2006 Presidential elections in addition to making a lot of sectarian statements that endanger our national security, Lt. Col. Ankunda stated.
He added:
We shall not allow him to spoil the cohesion that the UPDF has built over time. Of course the military is handling his issues professionally and by Tuesday we expect him to be arraigned in the courts of law.
Ankunda also maintained that the UPDF will not and cannot any ignore bit of intelligence because there are some groups that are preparing to cause violence.
It’s better to act on wrong intelligence than not acting at all. We are not taking anything for granted because some groups have recruited militias ahead of the upcoming polls, he stressed.
However Gen. David Sejusa’s lawyer David Mushabe who also appeared on the Fourth Estate slammed Col. Ankunda and revealed that his client (Gen. Sejusa) has been requesting to be discharged from the army since 1996 but he has been detained against his wish. Mushabe added that Sejusa applied to be discharged from the army but the 90 days application elapsed last year in March and the UPDF hasn’t written to him.
My client is under military imprisonment because he isn’t receiving a salary, he isn’t getting any benefits and his pips were removed so basically he is under constructive discharge. He is being detained in the army against his wish, Mushabe stressed.
Mushabe wondered why Museveni easily retired Gen. Tumukunde, Muntu, Biraaro and other young officers but he has refused to retire Gen. Sejusa.
He said that the UPDF is playing with the law because it is being applied selectively.
While the Chief Of Defence forces Gen. Katumba Wamala and Inspector general of Police Gen. Kayihura haven’t been interrogated for the political statements they are making that qualify to be war talk, those opposing the regime are being treated harshly when they speak out, he noted.
In his response, Lt. Col. Ankunda said that Gen. Sejusa’s application to retire is being considered and it is at the discretion of President Museveni who is also the commander In Chief of the armed forces to make the final decision. Ankunda maintained that the army will remain non-partisan and that the UPDF will salute whoever is elected as President on February 18.
Gen. Sejusa an outspoken critic of President Yoweri Museveni and who had a spell in exile in Britain between April 2013 and Dec. 2014 — was arrested on Sunday Jan. 31, 2016 at his home in Naguru, Kampala and taken to the Military Police barracks at Makindye and according to Col. Ankunda Sejusa will be charged with making public statements without proper Authorization because he is still a serving army officer.
