President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Commander in Chief has assigned his young trusted brother and special senior presidential advisor Gen. Salim Saleh to supervise the fight against gunmen who are attacking security installations and forces.

Credible security sources have intimated to theGrapevine that Museveni was briefed by his confidant intelligence team that security agencies have failed to defeat the armed men who attack police posts and military barracks.

Internal Affairs State Minister Gen. David Muhoozi briefed parliament that 22 suspects including UPDF soldiers and two police officers were charged before the court martial on offences related to the recent attacks on police stations and military barracks. The minister said that within a period of 12 months, 13 attacks have been reported, 15 guns were stolen and 6 of these have not yet been recovered.

“According to available intelligence, the motives for these actions are acquisition of arms for subversive activities, as well as for other criminal ends other than subversion,” the minister said.

However, the minister explained that some of the attacks were as a result of laxity in the security forces and sources have said that it is this laxity that has forced President Museveni to bring back Gen. Saleh after establishing that his security forces were carrying out uncoordinated operations against the said gunmen.

Sources added that the big man was very bitter with some security bosses for giving uncoordinated statements, he gave an example of the statement issued by police identifying the gunmen as rebels which the army rubbished and insisted that the attackers are criminal gangs.

Sources said that Museveni directed all security bosses that before an operation is carried out, Gen. Saleh has to be informed and if it is an emergency, he has to be briefed not beyond five hours after the operation.

“You know these gangs have started using tactics which President Museveni’s NRA rebels used especially when they started attacking security installation with the aim of stealing guns, didn’t you hear that the attackers at Gaddafi barracks in Jinja first strangled the UPDF soldier before firing bullets on his dead body?” a source said.

He added that Museveni wants Gen. Saleh to use the same tactics they have previously used to fight gunmen.

Another source said that there is a sharp division within security agencies and the president wants Gen. Saleh to fix it and save the situation.

Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the special presidential senior advisor on operation, has been the supervisor of all the operations in the country.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Patrick Onyango has revealed that detectives from Old Kampala police station have kicked off investigation against a controversial city businessman for inciting Kisekka market youths against Buganda Premier Charles Peter Mayiga.

In an exclusive interview with theGrapevine, Onyango said that on Monday morning, Old Kampala police received information about angry Buganda youths who were threatening to cause insecurity at Bulange building which houses Buganda Kingdom headquarters.

Onyango said that his police quickly saved the situation and arrested some of the youths who led the attack.

He explained that preliminary investigation show that there might be a big man behind the goons who were hired from Kisekka market to bring tension and panic at Bulange building and against the person of Mayiga.

“They are going to be charged with the offences of criminal trespass and inciting violence. However, investigations are ongoing and we might charge them with other offences because we are still looking for that person who is behind them,” Onyango said.

Detectives at Old Kampala police told theGrapevine that they suspect that there is a top city tycoon who facilitated these youths to attack Buganda Kingdom.

He added that they might be the ones who forged the signature of the Buganda Kingdom King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi that was put on the letter suspending all works at all Kingdom institutions including clans headquarters, his palaces and at the Kingdom headquarters.

In the forged letter, there were instructions directing UPDF and Uganda Police with immediate effect to stop providing security at the said Kingdom headquarters.

Detectives added that the youths identified themselves as Kabaka Munyango and are the ones who normally escort Kabaka Mutebi when he is travelling internally.

It is alleged the suspects wanted to stage a deadly protest against Kabaka as a way of provoking his security to fire bullets at them which would have resulted in bloodshed.

The suspects were found with machetes and placards with writings pleading to Kabaka Mutebi to fire Mayiga over incompetence and corruption.

Buganda Kingdom disowned the said letter insisting that it was not signed by Kabaka.

However, sources within Mengo revealed that the letter was authored within Bulange by Mayiga’s enemies.

Efforts to get a comment from Buganda Kingdom were futile as Noor Kiyimba, the Kingdom’s information and cabinet minister was not picking our calls by press time.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye, the UPDF spokesperson has revealed that the attack on Jinja’s Gadaffi barracks, where a soldier was killed by unknown gunmen, was an inside job.

Kulayigye explained that the investigations indicated that one of the soldiers who was guarding the QuotaGuard with the deceased was in communication with the attackers.

He disclosed that this soldier, who was arrested after the death of his colleague, confessed that when the attackers told him where they had reached, he left his gun with the deceased under the guise of going to buy some eats and drinks.

He further confessed that he guided the attackers on how to implement their mission.

Kulayigye said that the attackers were veterans who retired from security forces and they used the deceased’s negligence to kill him.

“Sgt. Simon Peter Eyagu rested in internal peace but he slept on the job which resulted in his death. The attackers found him sleeping in that room at the QuotaGuard and first strangled him to death before firing bullets in his body,” Kulayigye said.

He rubbished allegations that the recent attacks on police and military barracks are spearheaded by rebels. Kulayigye insisted that these are criminal gangs who are looking for guns to be used in different criminal activities.

He explained that there was laxity in security agencies which helped the criminals to execute their plans on security personnel which has come to an end now because the orders have changed, they are going to shoot to kill.

He advised criminals to surrender their guns to the concerned authorities because it is the only way they will be saved from death.

By Sengooba Alirabaki