Opposition tells Kayihura to resign

UPC’s Olara Otunnu (R) former FDC leader Kizza Besigye and current FDC president Mugisha Muntu during a press conference at Parliament yesterday. PHOTO BY Geoffrey Sseruyange

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Accusation. Opposition leaders accuse the IGP of getting actively involved in the ongoing infighting within the NRM party, which they say is a partisan conduct.

Parliament.
Opposition politicians yesterday said Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura should resign over his involvement in the ongoing power play within the ruling NRM party to pave way for a parliamentary probe into what they noted as his partisan conduct.

A probe by a Parliamentary select committee will get underway if a motion to be tabled soon succeeds, Opposition politicians revealed at a media briefing in Parliament.

“We have made a demand and we’ll follow it up with a motion,” said Mr Wafula-Oguttu, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, without committing himself as to when they intend to make the move.
Under Parliament’s rules, the House may at any time, upon a motion made after a notice, appoint a Select committee to be nominated by the Business Committee, for the consideration of such matters as the House may refer to the committee and to report such matter to the House.

Kayihura’s leaked tapes
Last month, Gen Kayihura was thrust into the eye of the storm after leaked tape recordings featured him de-briefing NRM youth leaders about the ongoing power struggle in the ruling party that has cast Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi in the role of rival against President Museveni.
Gen Kayihura has so far said the tapes were stolen and that they were part of a wider investigation into “criminal behaviour connected with on-going political controversies within the NRM party”.

Police have also been faulted by government agencies over corruption, torture and meting out violence on citizens while blocking political activities that would be deemed to be against the wishes of Mr Museveni.
FDC president Mugisha Muntu, UPC president Olara Otunnu, DP president Norbert Mao, leading activist Kizza Besigye and Mr Wafula-Oguttu all accused Gen Kayihura of tarnishing the image of the police.

“The most important thing about the select committee will be to bring exposure to the public. The leaked tapes will be played, people will bring information and we will know the gravity of what Kayihura has been doing,” Dr Besigye said.
“He (Kayihura) says a lot of things that are clearly outrageous. The public must be brought to the centre of public institutions. We must go back to the source of power and craft a consensus,” he added.
Dr Besigye also confirmed that the Opposition is in touch with an unnamed number of unhappy individuals inside government, including the Prime Minister, over the political situation in the country.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga yesterday insisted that “whatever actions Kayihura has been engaged in are governed under his mandate as IGP”
The Opposition took particular issue with a segment of the recordings that featured Gen Kayihura undertaking to connect some youths to the Gender ministry Permanent Secretary Pius Bigirimana so as to be enlisted under the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP).

“The revelations confirm that the YLP is a political slush fund. Mr Bigirimana should be suspended for his role in the ‘youthgate’,” Mr Otunnu said.
Yesterday, Mr Bigirimana said he has “never met or talked to the IGP.”