Gen Kale Kayihura is not a member of the UPDF Historical High Command.

The command comprises of generals Yoweri Museveni, Salim Saleh, Elly Tumwine, David Tinyefuza, and Matayo Kyaligonza. The late Eriya Kategaya, Tadeo Kanyankore and Fred Rwigyema were the other members of this body permanently inscribed in the UPDF Act.

Kayihura is neither a member of the Historical Army Council which comprises; Jim Muhwezi, Kahinda Otafiire, Mugisha Muntu, Ahmed Kashilingi, Julius Chihandae, Samson Mande, Kibirango Gyagenda, Andrew Lutaaya, etc.

How then did he join the club of the generals when historically he is not one of them? I will answer this question later in this article which will help you understand why we are in this mess.

Kayihura is in his own right a historical having joined the war, which brought Gen Museveni into power, at its infancy. He was part of the group sent to Libya for military training, I think, about one year into the 1981-86 bush war.

This Libya group, as it came to be known, had its leaders who included the late Brig Livingstone Kateregga and Col Nuwe Amanya Mushega. Col Fred Bogere Makanga was also part of it.

None of the Libya group members has risen beyond the rank of brigadier except Kayihura. Mushega remained a major until his retirement around 2005 when he was promoted to full colonel.

Somehow, Kayihura, maybe because of his family background, “fluked” the party when Museveni took him to his residence and appointed him military assistant. That is when he promoted him to brigadier and asked him to head the Special Revenue Protection Police (SRPS).

Museveni has built his kingdom using money and military. When he entrusts you with one, you know that he really loves you. Recently, I toured Uganda’s major border points and was surprised that most of the Uganda Revenue Authority officers there are from the West.

So, appointing Kayihura to protect revenue was a big statement. His appointment as inspector general of police (IGP) in 2005 did not surprise me.

Maybe what surprised me was the fact that he continued receiving military ranks as if he were an active soldier. From brigadier to major general in 2005, to lieutenant general and finally to full general towards the 2016 general elections.

Kayihura celebrated his promotion to the rank of general by marching through the streets of Kampala. The truth of the matter, Museveni had dropped Kayihura and appointed him minister of defence. Crispus Kiyonga, the then minister of defence, had been taken to the docket of East African affairs.

Eventually, Museveni decided to retain Kayihura but, to make matters worse for him, he appointed his “enemy” Gen Aronda Nyakairima, his supervisor, as new minister of Internal Affairs. Kayihura lost morale and, as a way of rehabilitating him, Museveni put him at the same rank as his supervisor.

Instead of crying, Kayihura celebrated. This is his third week in detention at Makindye military barracks. He can’t be taken to the General Court Martial because Lt Gen Andrew Guti, its head, is of a lower rank.

The Court Martial issue is easier to solve as Museveni can simply assign Tumwine an additional role by appointing him its chair. Trouble is: who will stand surety in case Kayihura wants to apply for bail? Ordinarily, an officer at the same rank or above should be the surety.

If I am not mistaken, this country has nine generals; Museveni, Saleh, Tumwine, Tinyefuza, Katumba Wamala, Jeje Odong, Moses Ali, David Muhoozi and Kayihura himself. Other than Tinyefuza, the rest of the generals cannot stand surety for Kayihura unless cleared by Museveni.

And that is the gist of this column! The continued abuse of the military by Mr Museveni. The British invested heavily in the professionalization of the UPDF project. A white paper was prepared when John Patrick Amama Mbabazi was still defence minister and many good proposals on training, recruitment and general administration were adopted.

The army was supposed to begin retiring its very senior officers to give room to the young and energetic ones. I think that is the point Lt Gen Wilson Mbadi, himself a beneficiary of fraudulent promotion and appointment, made recently.

While speaking about the impending retirement of the likes of major general Kasirye Gwanga, Mbadi said the military is like a snake; it must keep shedding off its old skin. What he didn’t explain is why Kasirye Gwanga, Ssebaggala or Gyagenda are the old skin and not Tuwmine, Tinyefuza or Mugume.

Kayihura must be feeling sad to be questioned by his juniors such as Brig Kandiho (CMI) and the CDF himself, Gen Muhoozi. The truth of the matter is that by the time David Muhoozi rose to the top, all the old skins should have been retired long ago. Imagine if you are Kayihura and you are asked to report to Muhoozi.

I sympathize with even more senior people like Pecos Kuteesa and Ivan Koreta. Just imagine if you are Koreta and you receive summons from Lt Gen Wilson Mbadi, who was a junior officer in the logistics directorate when you were already senior!