I will not be intimidated by police – Tumukunde

Presidential hopeful and former Security minister, Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde, has said he won’t relent or be intimidated by what he called “obstacles” created by the State to stop his activities towards the 2021 General Election.
In his address to the media at his office in Kololo yesterday, Gen Tumukunde asked colleagues in the Opposition to maintain the ‘struggle’ or else the country slides back into the situation that compelled him and other National Resistance Army fighters to fight in the 1981-1986 bush war that brought President Musveni to power.
“We offered ourselves as a group and we are still on course. We are trying to make sure we deliver change the peaceful transition,” Gen Tumukunde said.
“If this ceases to be, then we are returning to the 1980-1981 situation where a minister would be arrested on a roadblock in a government where you are serving. I think we need to be sensitive about our country’s stability. We are very offended. Actually abused and dehumanised,” Gen Tumukunde said.
“I want to repeat one statement [saying] that we need to continue to give an impression to [voters that] of all of us who are players in this political scene, we stand an opportunity to campaign freely and be able to win an election,” he added.
His message came a day before he was summoned to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in Kibuli, Kampala today for interogation. He is accused of meeting army veterans, which CID spokesperson, Mr Charles Twiine, said would be subversive in nature. “Like you saw the summons are connected to some elements of subversive activities. But particularly he has been mobilising and engaging army veterans for a discussion which of course the intelligence report has been provided to us,” Mr Twiine said last week.

Latest confrontation
Last week, police in Buikwe District arrested Gen Tumukunde for alleged violation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) agaisnt the spread of Covid- 19 when he held a consultative meeting with his supporters.
The former spy master, however did not appear as his lawyers said he had been psychologically unwell since he had been arrested a day prior to Wednesday when he was expected to appear at CID for interrogation.
Commenting on the summons, the handler of Tumukunde’s “Renewed Uganda” platform, Ms Beatrice Kiraso, expressed fear over what she called “trumped up charges” pressed against their candidate.
“As RU, we fear for our presidential candidate. We fear because we don’t know how far these trumped up charges will go. We feel that it is a way of denying our candidate the right to contest in the struggle,” Ms Kiraso said.

Plan B
Gen Tumukunde unveiled a committee that will continue to popularise his candidature in case he is jailed.
“We are living in very difficult times. We are in the middle of intimidation but we shall continue pushing the struggle forward. This is the reason we have unveiled this committee today so that they shall continue with the struggle,” Ms Kiraso said.
Among those on the team are Mr Omar Kalinge-Nyago, the national chairperson who will be deputised by Tororo North MP Annette Nyaketcho.
The team also has Mr David Lukwago as head of strategy, Mr Andrew Arach as the national political coordinator and Mr Henry Ssali as the head of external relations.