The Making And Breaking Of Gen Edward Kalle Kayihura Uganda's Defacto Number Two

The Making And Breaking Of Gen Edward Kalle Kayihura Uganda's Defacto Number Two

During the post bush war years, the late honorary brigadier Eriya Kategaya was widely regarded as the defacto number two after president Museveni in the NRM political hierarchy.

Having been a very close confidant and childhood friend of president Yoweri Museveni made Kategaya to be regarded as closest to the seat of power in Uganda.

But Kategaya is not known to have exercised, influenced or wielded any power. And the only time he wanted to influence events in Uganda, by crusading for peaceful transition of power, he was sacked from cabinet.

Kategyaya’s political power was therefore simply based on presumptions than reality.  

KK THE DEFACTO NUMBER TWO?

 But today the most powerful man and defacto number two after President Yoweri Museveni is Gen Edward kale kayihura.

But it’s safe to say that he is the only man under the NRM who has managed to exercise horizontal powers with President Yoweri Museveni. Of course many can talk of Gen Salim Saleh as another powerful man in the hierarchy of power, but Saleh’s influence is passive and advisory at most.

KK is the only man who can deploy troops in any part of the country. He is the only man who can make reshuffle within the armed forces. He is the only man who can sack any officer at any time, any place without being questioned.

Not even the chief of defense forces Gen katumba wamala has the authority to deploy a platoon without seeking for consent from the president.

Of late KK has been trending in the Ugandan media mostly for the wrong reasons following the brutal actions of the police institution he leads resulting into a court case.

He was supposed to attend court to defend himself and the police for the brutality they have meted out on supporters of Col Kiiza Besigye.  

But before we go into the merits and demerits of this saga, let’s examine his background.

WHO IS KALE KAYIHURA?

Born in 1955, Gen kayihura has lived a relatively privileged life. He is not a son of a peasant or a pastoralist like most Ugandans.

His father john Kalekyezi died in a plane crash on August 17, 1960 Kiev, Ukraine.

His father John kalekyezi had been very instrument in the fight for Uganda’s independence.

If he had not died in the ill-fated plane crush, there is a good chance john kale was very well placed to lead or participate in the leadership of post independent Uganda.

He started school from Kisoro, moved to fort portal and later to Kisubi where he was groomed for priesthood in the Catholic Church.

It’s alleged that Kayihura was one of the best students in the country after excelling in the East African Ordinary Certificate of Education (EACE) examinations in 1973 and later joined Makerere University where he studied law.

JOINING THE BUSH WAR

At Makerere University he found the late Sam Njuba who lectured him in law and later recruited him into the NRM in 1984. It’s important to note that during the bush war, KK was studying in London.

When Njuba recruited him into the struggle in 1984, he came with a much bigger profile than any other intellectuals in the NRM. At that time, the NRM had a number of intellectuals and lawyers like Jim Muhwezi , Henry Tumukunde , Aronda Nyakairima etc  in the NRA rebel ranks.

Nothing is mentioned about his contribution to the war effort, but he systematically rose to become a brigadier in the army. But he was mostly deployed in political assignments within the army where he served as the political commissar.   

HOW MUSEVENI RATES HIM

President Museveni once said that he has got no friends, but working relationships.

And it’s widely believed that KK has for a longtime been Museveni’s most trusted officer.

At one time the late Brigadier Noble Mayombo was known to be the darling of the president but it later emerged that Mayombo’s shaky discipline (he drunk like a fish) cost him the trust he had built with the president.

And indeed when Mayombo died, president Museveni made a comparative description which exposed how he rated the two men when he said that ‘Mayombo was kayihura-like’.

That statement meant that the president rated KK more than he did Mayombo.

Those close to him claim that KK is blessed with a very strict sense of personal discipline that he has managed to cultivate amore stronger bond with the president.  KK doesn’t drink, is not a womanizer and he is not prone to cheap gossip.

Those are the qualities that president Museveni uses as a benchmark when deploying officers in sensitive positions.

When Joseph kony was defeated and pushed to the jungles of the Central African Republic, the priority shifted from the army to the police.

The challenges of Uganda had shifted from war to a law and order challenges. So you needed a very trusted cadre to push the agenda.

With his vast legal knowledge and military background, KK was appointed as the inspector general of police and given the carte blanche to impose law and order in the country.

IS KK CULPABLE?

Now the contradictions that have lead to the court case are as contradictory as the word itself.

In Uganda’s law, a policeman is personally liable for his own actions. When he commits a crime, like they did when the caned people on the streets, the errant officers were supposed to be brought to book to answer for their actions.

And you ordinarily thought that this was an easier case for KK to defend himself.

But kayihura becomes culpable because he came out to justify the use of canes by the policemen. While the world was horrified about the actions of some policemen, KK simply brushed them aside by insisting that it was better than using tear gas canisters and bullets.

But the law is clearly spells out that even cane beatings are a form of torture.

 

MEETING KK

 I had the privilege to meet KK at parliamentary buildings and asked him about the Congo mission where he had been captured and later saved by the late Gen James Kazini from the congolese rebels.

I found him to be very receptive, a willing listener and someone who really interests himself in the details.

 I found him the second time at state house, Entebbe and I advised him to work on the issue of labeling and renaming parts of Kampala, since they are very many new emerging villages without names to help police in reacting to distress calls by the public.

But KK told me that it’s the duty of KCCA and not the police .I found him to be the man who enjoys challenging discussions and always willing to argue his case. i now wonder why he is shying away from the court process.

KK’S FATE

He is likely to wither the storm even without appearing in court. But most important of all , he is the only man that president Museveni trusts with his heart and soul. he is the only one who can compel KK to appear before a court.

The author Fred Daka Kamwada is a senior journalist and Uganda’s number one blogger