Ex-spymaster Gen Sejusa finally signs out of Army

Former spymaster Gen David Sejusa, aka Tinyefuza, takes part in the documentation exercise of officers set to retire from the army in July at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs offices in Mbuya, Kampala, yesterday. He first applied to leave the army in 1996. PHOTO/HANDOUT/UPDF

What you need to know:

  • Gen Sejusa’s bid to quit the army started in 1996, but it was turned down by the army leadership.


Former spymaster David Sejusa, who first applied to leave the army in 1996, was yesterday seen filing in the retirement documents at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, a signal that he will be allowed to exit the Force in July.

This development was communicated on the official Twitter handle account of the Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Brig Felix Kulayigye, yesterday.

Gen Sejusa’s bid to quit the army started in 1996, but it was turned down by the army leadership.

To that effect, he petitioned the High Court in Kampala, with then presiding judge Margaret Ouma Oguli, ruling in his favour before ordering government to compensate him Shs750 million.

But the government appealed against the decision and the Court of Appeal overturned the earlier decision.

At the wedding of his daughter Sharon Nankunda in Mbarara in December 2004, Gen Sejusa sought public apology and promised to work with his boss, President Museveni, who doubles as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Gen Tinyefuza, who changed his name to Sejusa on February 17, 2012, explained that his decision to resign from the army and the subsequent law suit he filed against government, coupled with his push for the restoration of Omugabeship in Ankole, was premised on a lapse in his judgment.

Gen Sejusa later returned to senior deployment, the last being as the coordinator of intelligence services.
In 2013, he authored a dossier in which he asked then director general of Internal Security Organisation (ISO), Brig Ronnie Balya, to inquire into allegations that he, alongside other top government officials perceived to be opposed to the ‘Muhoozi Project’, were targets of persecution.

It was claimed that President Museveni was preparing his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to replace him and that anyone who would come in their way, would be “eliminated”.

Facing the risk of arrest and prosecution, Gen Sejusa fled to the United Kingdom, which saw two media houses that had run the dossier, Daily Monitor and Red Pepper publications, closed.

The two publications were later reopened. Gen Sejusa returned to Uganda quietly following a secret negotiation and was received by Brig Balya, who led him to meet President Museveni.