By Joachim Twino
This news website has obtained credible information showing how the control of the lucrative contract to supply posho to the police force caused problems for ex-IGP Gen Kayihura and gradually created a wedge between him and the President and by extension some influential members of the first family. After the 2016 elections, in which Kayihura played a very big role in especially politically neutralizing Amama Mbabazi, a meeting was held between the IGP and the President. In that meeting many things were reflected upon including what was to be done to keep the angry and hungry young people, who had defected from Mbabazi’s camp, engaged and thereby prevent them from returning to “chaotic and disoriented opposition politics.” The group that the two leaders discussed wasn’t just the NRM poor youths that had previously been pro-Mbabazi. It was also in reference to friendly opposition leaders especially those holding elective positions at Division levels in Kampala’s 5 Divisions. Gen Kayihura proposed, and President Museveni agreed, that one of the lucrative police supply contracts goes to this group. It was agreed that an influential Mayor heading one of the 5 City Divisions becomes the overall boss for the contract. The flamboyantly very talkative Mayor, famous for being opposition during day and sneaking in pro-Museveni meetings at night, had the obligation to identify all potential opposition trouble causers and incorporate them into a company that would be formally contracted to supply posho to all the police barracks throughout the country. “This will demonstrate honesty on our part and most importantly it will divert hundreds of these young people from being susceptible to the propaganda of Besigye and Lukwago. They will gradually be transformed into real NRM cadres and their economically transformed lives will make them role models to attract others from the opposition,” Kayihura argued as Museveni approvingly said “very good.” He then got into his chopper and left Kisozi where they met from and returned to Kampala to implement.
TWO POWERFUL LADIES;
It should be understood that this very posho supply contract was being executed by two shrewd ladies who are famously related to an influential general in Museveni’s government and security apparatus. They are sisters and one of them marries this powerful general. The two lady sisters are never in politics but ever in business deals. They had been posho suppliers to the Police Force for a long time through their proxy company. It was agreed to sacrifice their business interests in order to win over the chaotic opposition youths and ring leaders without whom Museveni and Kayihura believed Col Kizza Besigye, Erias Lukwago & Co would politically become annihilated in Kampala and other urban centers. “We shall get them something else,” the two leaders concurred regarding the fate of the two commercially very shrewd sisters upon losing the police tender.
THINGS FALL APART;
The two ladies were communicated to and told to forget about the police posho contract and that something equally lucrative would be found for them. “But we had already committed and took a Shs10bn loan from a commercial bank to be able to supply police posho for the next quarter and we are stuck this loan is going to accumulate and the bank will take our property,” one of the ladies cried out to the two big men on being told of the bad news. What angered Museveni was to realize later on (through his pro-Henry Tumukunde intelligence boys) that whereas Gen Kayihura had persuaded him to get the two ladies out of the police contract to create room to soften hundreds of opposition youths who act as ring leaders in KB’s riots, this actually wasn’t true. From the two commercially well connected sisters, the deal had shifted to Crime Preventers and the opposition youths weren’t anywhere in the picture. This was a big deal by the way because conservative estimates told this news website that on average, Shs5bn is spent on this item by the police leadership per quarter. President Museveni was furious and summoned Gen Kayihura and expressed his displeasure regarding the absence of the opposition youths in the new police posho contract. The President rang the opposition Mayor who sounded ignorant about the police posho contract. “Your excellence we did our part [spying and undermining opposition efforts] and we are still waiting to be rewarded as promised by the IGP,” the Mayor casually told the President. Museveni, three days later, rang the mayor and said “you are my son kindly tell me the truth; don’t tell me lies about this posho contract.” The Mayor insisted his boys weren’t involved. Apparently, Museveni must have rang the police leadership immediately after interacting with the opposition mayor. The mayor was rang by one of the ex-IGP’s assistants who insisted “Where are you bwana Mayor? I want to meet you urgently.” The mayor reluctantly turned up and the assistant told him “I’m happy for you Mayor; you have fallen into things. The H/E has directed that the police deal for posho supplies goes to your group. Tondyako sense [don’t forget me when the money finally comes].” The assistant then asked the mayor to sign some documents which would indicate that his group has been the one supplying posho to police. The mayor insisted “I can’t just sign. Let me first consult my group members because I don’t want to look a fool in PAC someday.” The mayor disappeared and never came back. He was warned by some State House aides that the matter had become very serious, State House had come under pressure from the two powerful lady sisters and the President was personally investigating who exactly had taken this lucrative and sensitive contract. In the days and weeks that followed, the mayor shunned this assistant and this remained the position until Gen Kayihura fell. Reliable sources say Museveni was furious it were the crime preventers with this contract and they hadn’t even been properly procured. He was furious the same group had already been rewarded with some construction deals on the police projects and were once again being favored to supply posho to feed the police barracks. There is a time State House tried to block a Shs5bn payment in favor of this same group but by the time the big man’s call/directive came, he was told it was too late. Money had already been paid. Museveni started asking the police leadership what was so special about this group-given that many other service providers, including fuel suppliers, weren’t being paid yet for them are being paid regularly and on time. Reliable sources say that Museveni showed his fury by not ringing or speaking to General Kayihura for so many weeks, something that showed unprecedented hostility and lukewarmness towards the general he once very much favored. On completing his investigations, Museveni rang the opposition Mayor and said “Mutabani wange bino obiwonye [my son you are lucky and its good you never got involved in this.” In the same phone call, Museveni said to the opposition mayor “kati ono abadde musajja wange naye ayononese. Atandise okunimba [meaning IGP has always been my good man but he is now spoilt. He has started lying to me].” To the mayor this was clearly indicative how irretrievably the relationship between Museveni and Gen Kayihura had broken and it was a matter of time before the general from Kisoro lost his job.
