Gen Kale Kayihura’s last activity as Inspector General of Police (IGP) was announcing a huge police reshuffle that affected senior officers in the Uganda Police Force.
President Yoweri Museveni in a special announcement on Sunday evening fired Gen Kayihura along with his nemesis Henry Tumukunde, Security minister. Museveni has for a long time attempted to reconcile the two security bosses in vain prompting their rivalry to spill over to the public, thus compromising security of Ugandans that has been characterized by unresolved murders, kidnaps and infiltration of the police force by criminals.
It has emerged that hours before Kayihura was fired, the under-fire police chief had released a transfer and appointment list of over 50 senior police officers. Kayihura did not know that his sacking letter was also being signed by the commander-in-chief Gen Museveni.
Whereas Kayihura signed the police reshuffle list on March, 03, 2017, the list was made public on Sunday at about 6pm. By 8pm, Presidential press secretary Don Wanyama broke the news on twitter that Museveni has made a huge shakeup in the security lines.
“In the exercise of the powers vested in the President by articles 113(1) and 213(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, I hereby appoint General Elly Tumwine as minister for Security, Mr Okoth Ochola as the Inspector General of Police and Brigadier Sabiiti Muzeei as the Deputy Inspector of Police,” reads Museveni’s statement.
Top among the last police transfers that Kayihura made include; transfer of AIGP Ahmed Wafuba from the IGP’s office to Head Police Reserve Task Force, SCP Stephen Tanui from FFU to Police reserve as Deputy Head, SCP Anne Tusiime from L&E to IGP’s office for special assignment and transfer of CP Fred Enanga from Press unit to CPC as CP information and publications.
Kale Kayihura was appointed IGP in 2005 replacing Gen Katumba Wamala, now state minister for Works. His contract has been renewed a couple of times with the latest renewal coming in 2017 which was set to expire in 2020.
WHO IS KAYIHURA
- Born on December 26, 1955 in Kisoro, south-western Uganda, Kayihura attended Gasiza Primary School in Kisoro, before joining Mutolere Secondary School, in Kisoro District, up to Senior Four.
- He then joined St Mary’s College Kisubi for Advanced Level education.
- In 1978, Kayihura graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University and later enrolled at the London School of Economics where he was awarded a Master of Laws (LLM) in 1982.
- The police chief has attended a number of military courses including, the Army Command Course at the Army Commander College in Nanjing, China; the Combined Arms Course, The Brigade/Battalion Commander’s Course, the Conflict Resolution and Management Course at Nasser Military Academy, Cairo, in Egypt; Command and Staff Course at the Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, in United States, from 2000 to 2001.
- In 1982, Kayihura joined the National Resistance Army (NRA) and rose through the ranks, becoming Aide de Camp to the Commander of the Mobile Brigade, from 1982 to 1986.
- From 1986 to 1988, Kayihura was Staff Officer in the office of the assistant minister of Defence, then Chief Political Commissar and simultaneous Director of Political Education in NRA, Operational Commander of the UPDF in Ituri Province, DR Congo, and Military Assistant to the President and later head of Special Revenue Police Services.
