Brace for tougher times, Sejusa tells Mbabazi

Former coordinator for Intelligence Services David Sejusa (standing R) addresses youth last Friday in Masaka Town PHOTO BY MARTIN E SSEKWEYAMA

What you need to know:

Face reality. Gen Sejusa says Mr Mbabazi is no longer prime minister and nobody in government can grant him the privileges he previously enjoyed.

Masaka. The former coordinator for Intelligence Services, Gen David Sejusa, has advised former prime minister Amama Mbabazi to brace for tougher times ahead as he positions himself to challenge President Museveni in next year’s presidential elections.
According to Gen Sejusa, the first hurdle Mr Mbabazi is likely to face is government’s intervention to block his planned consultative meetings.
Gen Sejusa said government will not allow Mr Mbabazi, who made his presidential intensions public on June 15, to freely traverse the country to market his bid.
“Mr Mbabazi should appreciate that he is no longer prime minister neither secretary general to continue doing things the legal way because nobody in this government can grant him those privileges anymore,” Gen Sejusa said, adding: “He ought to learn from the way he was coerced from office, swallow his pride and vigorously engage the regime by breaking the law like they also do.”
Gen Sejusa made the remarks last Friday after beating security to hold a meeting with Opposition youth leaders at the Forum for Democratic Change regional offices in Masaka Town.
Last month, Mr Mbabazi released a programme for consultation meetings with NRM members in different districts beginning with Mbale on July 9.
But police have since warned him against holding such meetings, claiming he has to be nominated first by his party –NRM.
But when contacted, Mr Ofwono Opondo, the government spokesperson, said Gen Sejusa was a bitter man and urged Ugandans to ignore him.
“If you see a general running away from his army and choose to hide, then he doesn’t deserve to be called a general at all. For us we have already written him off and I also advise the public to do the same. He is a joker,” Mr Ofwono said by telephone.

Lost confidence
Gen Sejusa also told youth that democratic elections cannot offer solutions to Uganda’s current political problems and urged the Opposition to boycott the polls. “This forthcoming election can change nothing in this country after all, the NRM has already rigged it. It’s now incumbent upon us to explore all options to resist and uproot the regime” he said.