{UAH} Allan/Pojim/WBK: Was Christopher Aine a govt spy?
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Was Christopher Aine a govt spy?
Mbabazi knew where Aine was hiding
Mbabazi camp claims the state security machinery always knew where Aine was, as his 'resurrection' at Salim Saleh's house raises more questions than answers.
Months into his disappearance, Amama Mbabazi, a former independent presidential candidate, knew that the former head of his campaign's security, Christopher Aine, was held by state agents in the country and not in Tanzania, a source familiar with the former prime minister's campaign has said.
The source said that a month after Aine's disappearance on December 17 2015, they got credible information that he was kept in a house in Mutundwe, a Kampala suburb.
"Aine was tactfully withdrawn to show Mbabazi that he was weak. He can be deserted even by his closest aides," the source said.
"Mbabazi got details of this plot towards the elections, that is why he maintained his stand that Aine was being held by security agencies," the source added.
Aine said he surrendered himself to Gen Salim Saleh on April 7, five months after he disappeared following clashes between Mbabazi's and Museveni's supporters in Ntungamo on December 13, 2016, which triggered a police manhunt for him.
He said he had gone into hiding in Tanzania, fearing for his life, after police put out a Shs 20 million reward for whoever provided useful information that would lead to his arrest.
In January, there were reports that he was killed by security operatives and buried. In an interview with NTV on Thursday evening, a disheveled Aine was not specific about where in Tanzania he was hiding and was unconvincing in some of his responses.
Mbabazi had all along put pressure on the state to produce Aine and even lodged a case in court seeking to compel police to produce him dead or alive. The case was dismissed last month. Last Monday, one of the people who worked for Mbabazi told the former prime minister that she knew where Aine was being held.
The woman claimed that she had spoken to Aine. Mbabazi, reportedly did not look surprised. Neither did he seem enthusiastic about the proposition of getting Aine out of hiding. But he gave the lady the nod, nonetheless to extract Aine.
After getting Mbabazi's approval, she told some colleagues at the Go Forward offices on April 6 (Wednesday): "I picked him and delivered him."
What surprised her colleagues is that Aine instead appeared on TV with Gen Salim Saleh, raising suspicion that the said woman could be part of a ring of state operatives that were planted around Mbabazi.
We have been told that the same lady had in January told a group of journalists covering Mbabazi's campaign that she knew where to find Aine but was reluctant to help. At that time, she was angry that she had not been paid her allowances.
In light of the latest developments, Aine now is viewed suspiciously as a state mole by the Mbabazi camp. Insider sources in the Mbabazi camp now fear that Aine could have been reporting to Saleh all the time he worked with them.
In mid-January, Aine's family members including his twin sister Rita Babirye, who used to camp at Mbabazi's Kololo residence, suddenly decamped. They suddenly seemed at ease and stopped pressuring government to produce Aine or his body. It seemed they had been tipped that Aine was alive and well somewhere.
LUKWAGO'S TAKE
Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago told journalists on Friday that Aine's disappearance and sudden reappearance in the hands of state agents had vindicated Mbabazi.
"The way he [Aine] vanished is the same way he has come back. We woke up in the morning and realized that he had disappeared. During the entire police search, Saleh never surfaced. On coming back, he [Saleh] says he [Aine] is his son. When did he become one? Saleh has much to answer especially on why he did not advise the boy to report to police," Lukwago said.
Government at some point alleged that Mbabazi was hiding Aine, a claim he denied.
"Let us wait and see whether police will ask Saleh to surrender him for prosecution," Lukwago said.
POLICE SPEAKS OUT
Polly Namaye, the deputy police spokesperson, told The Observer on Friday that Aine will be questioned by police soon. She said Saleh's mediation role will not stop police from charging him.
"Aine has been on the wanted list and since he surrendered himself, he will first record a statement with police telling us where he has been, how he left the country and what he has been doing for all this time," Namaye said.
Namaye however, declined to reveal when they will pick Aine from Gen Saleh's home.
"Yes he handed himself in; so, there is no hurry to pick him from Gen Saleh's home. He is safe now; so, anytime we need him, we shall pick him," she said.
She said criminal summons issued for Aine by the court in Jinja are still pending for his role in the Ntungamo clashes between Mbabazi's and Museveni's supporters.
SALEH'S INVOLVEMENT
Reliable sources told The Observer that Aine decided to surrender to Gen Saleh because of his family's strong relationship with the general. Gen Saleh was a close friend to Aine's late father, Maj Julius Aine (RO0041), an NRA bush war veteran.
After the death of Aine's father, Saleh, according to sources, maintained a close relationship with the family because Aine, his brothers and sisters were still young.
"Saleh contributed a lot to Aine's family even after the death of their father. He paid school fees for some of the children and helped the family to obtain their compensation from the army," the source said.
Sources told us that Saleh and Aine fell out after the latter started working for Mbabazi in July 2015. On Thursday, Saleh referred to Aine as "my son."
AINE SAGA TIME-LINE
Christopher Aine was involved in the Ntungamo violent clashes on December 13 last year when supporters of Mbabazi and Museveni fought in Ntungamo town.
On December 17, he was reported missing from his home in Kyanja and security was accused of kidnapping him.
On January 2, 2016, the inspector general of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, put out a Shs 20m reward for anyone with useful information that would lead to Aine's arrest.
On January 4, a photo of a dead person with close resemblance to Aine was published in one of the newspapers and circulated on various social media sites.
Family members claimed the photographed body was Aine's but police denied the claim and insisted he was alive and wanted.
On January 8, Mbabazi's legal team went to court to compel police to produce Aine dead or alive but last month, court dismissed their plea for lack of sufficient evidence.
On April 7, Aine resurfaced and claimed to have surrendered to Gen Saleh and that he had been hiding in Tanzania.
sadabkk@observer.ug
johnsonkagame@gmail.com
slubwama@observer.ug
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