{UAH} ARONDA WANTS TO RESIGN BUT HE IS M7'S PRISONER-SEJUSA

General blames Museveni for Black Mamba court raid; explains why the president wants Aronda in army

Gen David Sejusa has told an American television network that the president is keeping his sacked former army commander, Gen Aronda Nyakairima, in the army against his will.

Sejusa claims that President Museveni is keeping Nyakairima in the army to deny him a chance to join elective politics.

"President Museveni can only retire an army officer if he is sure he will support him in retirement," Sejusa told Voice of America television, Wednesday. "Otherwise, like one senior soldier was left to die in the army at 80 years, you can leave when you die, too old, sick or useless when you can no longer challenge his presidency."

Sejusa appeared on Straight Talk Africa programme, hosted by Ugandan-born Shaka Ssali and broadcast live on local TV, WBS. The topic of discussion was: "Ugandan Presidential Succession Allegations."

However, the minister of state for Defence, Gen Jeje Odongo, today told The Observer that Sejusa was being dishonest. Odongo, who retired from the army before he was approved as a minister, said the army had a revolving door and that the president was not keeping Aronda against his will.

"UPDF retires any officer who asks the authority to leave the army. What General Sejusa is saying is a lie. In 1992, the UPDF retired 52 officers under the reduction of forces process. The president cannot keep Aronda because he fears that he will join politics," Odongo said.

"Gen Sejusa is not honest. He knows the truth. He is a lawyer, and he understands these things very well. He knows how the UPDF works. The UPDF handles case by case when it comes to retirement, and each case is handled very well. It is not true that the UPDF can keep someone who has passed the benchmarks for retirement."

To show that UPDF has been retiring men in uniform, Odongo said there was a huge chunk of money to cater for the pension and gratuity of UPDF officers who have retired. Aronda was removed as Chief of Defence Forces in May and was appointed minister of Internal Affairs minister in a cabinet reshuffle the same month.

Aronda, however, has had a hard time securing parliamentary approval, with MPs on the Appointments committee demanding that he first resigns from the army. President Museveni has rejected this demand. He was approved today by a 13 to six vote.

In fact, when Aronda first appeared before the vetting committee on June 26, a senior NRM cadre briefly explained to his colleagues why Museveni did not want Aronda to retire. This NRM politician, who commands respect on the Appointments committee, said Aronda had wanted to retire long time ago when he expressed interest in running for the Rubabo parliamentary seat in Rukungiri district, currently held by Paula Turyahikayo.

The MP said that on realising that Aronda had started to build a political base of his own, President Museveni talked him into abandoning his political ambitions.

"The president is comfortable with Aronda as a soldier. Aronda belongs to the educated class of the [1981-86] bush war fighters; the so-called intellectuals who are free thinkers and have always wanted to join politics, but the president doesn't want them to leave the army," the MP said.

Sejusa said retired army officers like Col Kizza Besigye, Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu and Maj John Kazoora left the army by default. He said he tried and failed to be retired in 1996, a Constitutional court petition notwithstanding.

A one Kizito, who called in from Kampala, asked Sejusa what his role was as coordinator of security agencies, when armed men dubbed Black Mamba raided the High court to rearrest treason suspects in 2005. Sejusa squarely blamed Museveni for the saga.

"We all know where the abuse originates, as long as there is a dictator who is abusing power," Sejusa replied. "No intelligence security agent can raid court led by the chief justice, who is number three in Uganda's hierarchy, or Parliament which is number two, without the knowledge of the top leader [Museveni] and many people know this; it is not for discussion."

Sejusa fled to the United Kingdom just as Daily Monitor newspaper published contents of a letter he had written to the internal security (ISO). In the letter, he demanded an investigation of reports that some prominent state officials opposed to a future Brig Muhoozi Kainerugaba presidency were to be assassinated.

On Wednesday he said he still had political ambitions and that change in Uganda was possible if disgruntled nationals were ready to sacrifice:

"I was a freedom fighter; I did not go to the bush to let Museveni rule till death. Mine was a political struggle and I would be lying to say I have no political ambitions. Change is possible but people must know that the long-time cost of standing up against a dictator is very painful, which needs a lot of sacrifice."

Sejusa said he had been publicly opposing the regime since the Constituency Assembly days back in 1994. He, however, regretted having taken so long to fight and resist what he calls dictatorship.

The general said that although professionalising the army was one of the principal objectives in Museveni's manifesto in 2001, the project has been a non starter just like the president's fight against HIV/Aids. He said the prevalence rate has shot up again because of the increasing corruption in the country.

He accused Museveni of using tricky methods to retain power and that anyone who has criticised this is either imprisoned or silenced, and those afraid of him join the government for fear of reprisal. On her part, a one Ndagire who also called in from Kampala said some Ugandans are tired of being ruled by soldiers, saying most of them have hidden agendas.

Perhaps worried about the repercussions, WBS TV kept flashing a disclaimer that the views expressed by Sejusa were not the views of the TV station or its management. Shaka Ssali said he had invited the Ugandan ambassador in the US to be on the show with Sejusa, but the  ambassador had declined, citing conditions beyond her reach.

But Prof Joel Barkan, from the Center for International Strategic Studies, who once lived in Uganda  and was in the studio, said though  people like Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa were cleared of corruption charges by local courts, they should be asked how they obtained their wealth.

Sejusa also reiterated claims that he was being trailed in London.

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