What next for Kayihura?

According to one of his lawyers, Jet Tumwebaze, the former police chief at one point faced 19 charges.

These were later whittled down to three. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was granted bail. Now there are pointers even the pending three charges could soon be dropped, insiders say.

A well-placed source at State House has told The Independent that a week ago, while meeting a group of people, President Museveni said that the “charges against Kayihura are bogus and that he should be released”.

ISO’s new charges

But amidst all this, insiders say the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) claims it has new credible intelligence linking the former police chief in some subversive activities.

For instance, insiders say ISO boss Kaka a few weeks ago sent a radio message to President Museveni and other security agencies that Gen. Kayihura is involved in subversive activities together with Australian-based Ugandan cardiologist, Dr. Aggrey Kiyingi.

Interestingly, in 2015, Kayihura told journalists that Kiyingi’s alleged involvement in rebel activities was detected towards the end of 2014. Kayihura said they had concrete evidence that Kiyingi was mobilising former Lord’s Resistance Army rebels and facilitating Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) activities.

In a video posted on his facebook wall, Kiyingi denied being a rebel collaborator. He said his organisation, Uganda Federal Democratic Organisation, was not a rebel group but a political platform.

Away from this, according to a source familiar with the intelligence reports, ISO intelligence has also linked Kayihura to a new terrorist group called People’s Agency and that the same group has been throwing leaflets around the country.

Apparently, ISO arrested a boda boda rider linked to the group. Upon interrogation, the rider took them to his house, where ISO found a drone and bomb-making materials.

However, insiders claim that ISO is coming up with fresh allegations to ensure the former police chief remains mired in suspicion. They point to the fact that Kayihura have a running feud from the days when he was calling the shots as police chief and de facto supremo of all security agencies.

And this is not the first time ISO under Kaka is spewing out negative intelligence against Kayihura. In July, Kaka paraded before the press two youths who confessed to have participated in murdering people using machetes/pangas.

The youths also accused Kayihura of having released such suspects when reported to him. Kaka, who paraded the boys, then said he would investigate.

It should also be noted that Kayihura was arrested after Kaka, presented a report to Museveni, which claimed that Kayihura had assassinated former Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Felix Kaweesi in order to kill the possibility of the latter becoming his successor.

The most significant piece of evidence in this report was a recording in which Kayihura was allegedly talking to the assassin after Kaweesi was murdered. The said assassin was reportedly informing Kayihura that the mission was accomplished.

Kaka had also availed witnesses who claimed to have participated in the planning and execution of the murder. But when a joint team of investigators from police, ISO and the Chieftancy of Military Intelligence (CMI) further interrogated the said witnesses, they admitted that ISO operatives had coached them. The investigating team also found that the recording was not authentic. In their report to President Museveni, the joint investigating team concluded that the evidence against Kayihura up until this point was bogus.

Apart from meeting President Museveni in their quest to secure his freedom, Kayihura’s family also met Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho, aka, Salim Saleh.

According to a source familiar with what happened in that meeting, General Saleh also said that he had not believed the audio recording which operatives at the Internal ISO had availed as part of the evidence pinning the police chief in the murder of Kaweesi.

Saleh said that it was ISO boss Col. Frank Kaka and President Museveni who appeared to believe the video.

Saleh and Kayihura have not been the best of friends but the evidence intended to pin Kayihura could not easily sway him. He appeared to take a neutral stance. For Kayihura’s allies this too was good for the former police chief and also appeared a break from the past.

Kayihura and Saleh’s relationship appeared to hit rock bottom in 2016. Several months after the elections, Kayihura openly clashed with Saleh over Julius Aine, the bodyguard of former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, who following several episodes of fist-fights with the police disappeared during the campaigns.

Following his disappearance, Mbabazi’s camp accused police of disappearing Aine. Police then under Kayihura put a bounty of about Shs.20m for whoever was able to produce Aine.

But when he finally emerged, Aine was with Gen. Saleh, who even addressed a press conference about the fate of Mbabazi’s former bodyguard at the Mutundwe-based Serene Suites.

Police insisted it was going to arrest him sparking off major tensions between the Kayihura and Saleh. At the time, even other senior security officers loyal to Saleh also happened not to be in Kayihura’s camp.