{UAH} Museveni Orders Investigation Into Besigye's Escape
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Uganda: Museveni Orders Investigation Into Besigye's Escape
Col Kizza Besigye's dramatic escape from a police siege at his Kasangati home on Wednesday jolted President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni into ordering Gen Kale Kayihura, the police chief, to investigate whether some of his top police officers connived with his political archrival.
Insider sources said the investigating team will include officers from the presidential guard unit called the Special Forces Command (SFC) and some officers from the Police Professional Standards Unit (PSU). The team has less than two weeks to report its findings.
SFC spokesperson Maj Chris Magezi says: "This [investigation] is police work and if at all SFC officers are investigating, they follow police orders."
Interviewed on Saturday for a comment, police deputy spokesperson Polly Namaye said she wasn't aware of any ongoing investigation.
"Police officers are not under arrest as people say because their role was to closely monitor Besigye and his movements, but not to keep him under arrest. When he [Besigye] caused chaos in town, he was arrested and taken to court."
According to sources, the senior officers under investigation include James Ruhweza, the operational commander of Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP), Wesley Nganizi, the KMP North regional police commander, Emmanuel Bamuzibire, the KMP field force police commander, the Kasangati district police commander, OC station Kasangati, the KMP crime intelligence officer and head of security at Besigye's home.
President Museveni, sources said, ordered the investigation after he was informed that Besigye's escape could have been aided by some disgruntled police officers.
Besigye beat the heavy security surveillance at his home and ended up in downtown Kampala in the embrace of huge crowds of adoring supporters just a day to the inauguration of President Museveni. He was later arrested and flown to Moroto, out of reach of his relatives, lawyers and supporters.
HOW BESIGYE ESCAPED
Insider FDC sources said that on Wednesday, the day Besigye was supposed to be sworn as the people's president in protest at the February 18 presidential election result, which he disputes, he summoned his boda boda rider in Kasangati town to his home. Before the boda boda rider arrived, Besigye alerted the policemen at his gate to let the cyclist through.
The police at the gate reportedly obliged and allowed the cyclist into Besigye's home. Sources said that on reaching inside, Besigye dressed like the cyclist complete with a head helmet and rode back, through the gate and into Kasangati town without police detection.
His empty car, according to sources, followed him minutes later. Besigye used some shortcuts to avoid heavy traffic and ended up near Mukwano arcade where he found his car and proceeded to Mini Price where he addressed a rally before his arrest.
Sources add that when Kayihura learnt of Besigye's presence in the city centre, he ordered the police special operations unit to take over. The arrest of Besigye was commanded by Nixon Asingwire, the commander special operations. Afraid that Besigye could disrupt Thursday's inauguration ceremony, Kayihura, according to sources, ordered Asingwire not to detain Besigye in Kampala.
Asingwire moved Besigye to Moroto. The trip to Moroto was a closely-guarded secret. Many police officers were told Besigye had been taken to Naggalama police station and later Kasangati. Some police officers and FDC supporters learnt of Besigye's incarceration in Moroto the following day at around 2pm.
QUESTIONS POLICE OFFICERS MUST ANSWER
Sources said that Kayihura wants his under fire senior police officers to explain why they allowed the boda boda rider into Besigye's home yet they were under strict orders not to let anyone in because most of the retired colonel's would-be visitors had been placed under house arrest at their respective homes.
"I want someone who gave the order allowing that rider inside Besigye's home," Kayihura reportedly said.
Kayihura also wants his officers to explain why they did not escort the rider up to Besigye's sitting room after allowing him inside the compound. Insiders added that the police chief wants his cops to explain why they did not check the rider on his way out.
"If the rider was checked before entering, why wasn't he checked when leaving?" a fuming Kayihura reportedly said.
Other sources said the officers on guard duty could have aided Besigye to flee his home because they had not been paid their daily allowances. When Besigye was put under house arrest after the presidential election, the men and women on guard were paid daily allowances to keep the retired colonel at his residence. Sources added that every officer used to get at least Shs 20,000 daily and the force spent over Shs 8m a day.
That operation was under the watch of Andrew Felix Kaweesi, the director of research and training. However, according to insider sources, no allowances were paid in the run-up to Besigye's escape on Wednesday.
"Police got more than Shs 300m for the swearing-in operation but we have been on duty for five days and we have not seen any coin; where is our money going?" one policeman asked.
He added that officers at Besigye's home could have let him loose out of frustration. This is not the first time Besigye is beating heavy security surveillance at his home.
Two years ago, he escaped when Sam Omala, then commander of the police field force, was in charge of keeping him under lock and key at Kasangati.
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