Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura had no answers for President Museveni, after the NRM Chairman for Lubaga Division, Hajji Abdul Kitata, accused him before the president of acting on flawed intelligence at a State House, Entebbe meeting on January 3.
During the heated meeting, Kitata, a city businessman who gained his political capital by mobilising boda boda riders for Museveni during the campaigns, told the president that Kayihura acted on flawed intelligence information to sanction last month’s police raids on Nakasero and Kiwatule mosques.
According to sources who attended the highly charged meeting, Kitata and Kayihura clashed as they briefed the president on the police raids and subsequent arrest of Muslims found in the mosques. The meeting was also attended by some NRM Muslim leaders and officials of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC).
Interviewed at the weekend, Kitata confirmed attending the State House meeting but declined to divulge details of what was discussed.
“It is true [that] after the raid on Nakasero and Kiwatule mosques [in December] by police, we held a meeting with President Museveni and several things were talked about,” he said.
Our sources, however, said that after the police raids and the subsequent proclamation by the police chief that his men acted on a tip off that the two city mosques could provide useful clues to the November murder by shooting of Sheikh Muhammad Kiggundu, President Museveni called Kayihura and some Muslim leaders to State house to hear both sides.
According to sources, during the meeting, Hajji Kitata asked Kayihura to produce the evidence linking the 14 Muslims arrested and held at the highly fortified headquarters of the Police Flying Squad (Violent Crime Unit) in Nalufenya, Jinja, to the murder of Maj. Kiggundu.
“Afande Kayihura on 28th December while addressing the press at police headquarters in Naguru, you said that police raided Nakasero mosque after getting intelligence that there was information linking [the mosques] to the murder of Maj Kiggundu, so bring it to us,” a source quoted Kitata as having said.
The source further said that Kitata also accused Kayihura of raiding the city mosques without informing the Muslim leaders.
“Afande Kale we have done a lot of things with you. Why didn’t you consult us before raiding the mosques so that we give our side because we are members of those mosques,” Kitata reportedly said.
Sources said that a furious Kitata also accused the police chief of using false information from his commanders to raid the mosques.
“Afande Kale, some of your commanders will wake up one day and tell you that Kitata has killed someone and you will raid my home and arrest me without verifying the information. If this is the way you are doing your things, me I’m done with you,” Kitata reportedly said.
In response, Kayihura, according to sources, told Kitata that if he receives intelligence information from his commanders, he has to act very fast.
“I received intelligence from my commanders and I had to act very fast to make sure that we get the information,” Kayihura reportedly said, adding that a gun, rounds of ammunitions, magazines and some documents were recovered through the raid.
Kitata reportedly asked Kayihura to produce the gun and rounds of ammunitions, which he [Kayihura] didn’t do, prompting Kitata to storm out of the meeting.
Sources, however, told us that the recovered gun from Nakasero mosque belonged to the Late Maj Kiggundu. When Kitata stormed out of the meeting, President Museveni reportedly asked Kayihura to dig deeper and verify his information against the suspects.
The president reportedly asked Kayihura to screen all suspects. The innocent ones, he said, should be released, and those linked to the murder of Kiggundu, charged.
KAYIHURA MEETS COMMANDERS
After the State House meeting, Kayihura reportedly met his commanders and tasked them to provide hard evidence linking all 14 suspects to the murder of Kiggundu.
Kayihura met Frank Mwesigwa, the Kampala Metropolitan police commander;Herbert Muhangi, commander of Flying Squad; Johnson Dele Olal, CIID commander KMP; and Emitu Ezekiel, deputy commander KMP, among others.
During the meeting, Kayihura reportedly asked Mwesigwa to provide evidence linking the 14 suspects to the murder of Kiggundu. Mwesigwa reportedly failed to produce the evidence and said he got his tips from his juniors.
Kayihura was also told by his crime intelligence and investigation officers that they had no case file on the 14 suspects arrested from Nakasero mosque.
“Afande, we don’t have the file of the Muslims because they were arrested by Flying Squad officers and detained at Nalufenya,” a source quoted Johnson Dele Olal as having told Kayihura.
Insiders added that when Kayihura asked Muhangi to explain, he said he knew nothing about the 14 suspects. He said the suspects were taken to Nalufenya by Kampala Metropolitan police.
Muhangi said he could only link four suspects to the murder of Maj. Kiggundu.
“Afande, I have scientific evidence pinning the four on the Kiggundu murder and it will help us when they [suspects] appear in court but the rest I don’t have their facts,” Muhangi reportedly told Kayihura.
Without hard evidence, Kayihura ordered the immediate release of the 14 suspects.
MINISTER NADULI ROLE
Another State House source told us on January 6 that when the Muslim leadership wrote a letter condemning the police raids on mosques, Al hajji Abdul Nadduli, the minister without portfolio, sought an appointment with the president.
“On December 13, Nadduli went to State House with the Tabliq sect secretary Ayub Nyende to try and convince Museveni that police was actually acting on wrong information,” the source said.
Nyende was arrested the following day, after meeting the president. Nyende and a dozen other Muslims were taken to Nalufenya police station.
Nadduli was among officials of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council that openly criticised Kayihura in the aftermath of the police raids.
According to Ismail Kasibante, a boda boda cyclist who was arrested and released later, he was tortured and forced by policemen to take them to where Nyende was. Interviewed on January 5 Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Emillian Kayima denied the torture claims.
WHO IS KITATA
Abdul Kitata, an outspoken NRM activist, was the mastermind of the boda boda 2010 group that mobilised political support for President Museveni in Lubaga division and other parts of Kampala.
In 2011, Kitata became chairman of the NRM Youth League in Lubaga Division and in 2016 he became the NRM Chairperson of Lubaga division.
slubwama@observer.ug