Army too Strong to be Divided by Tinye – Katumba

General Katumba says the controversy which resulted from utterances made some army officers in the media will not cause any crack in the structure of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF). He says the utterances are from individuals and as such do not reflect the general view among the rank and file of the UPDF.

Without mentioning any name, Katumba told officers and men of UPDF at the 4th Division Headquarters in Gulu on Thursday, that some army officers have been making negative utterances in the media insinuating that trouble is brewing in the army. He said the UPDF will never be shaken by negative utterances from individual officers.

Gen. Katumba also says the recent reshuffle in the army leadership was a normal exercise which has no relations with the controversy caused by utterances made by General David Sejusa, the Coordinator of Intelligence Services.

In the changes, Katumba, then Lieutenant General and Commander of Land Forces, was promoted to General and appointed CDF. He replaced General Aronda Nyakairima, who was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs after almost 10 years as head of the army. Aronda’s deputy, Lieutenant General Ivan Koreta, was also replaced with Lt General Charles Angina, who until his appointment was the Joint Chief of Staff.

But retired Colonel Charles Okello Engola says that the UPDF should find a way of having a forum where generals discuss issues affecting them to avoid a situation where sensitive issues spill into the media.

Engola, the Oyam district Local Council Chaieperson, says recent utterances made by senior army officers in the media are causing tension countrywide among members of the public.

Last month, Gen. Sejusa alleged that there’s a plot to assassinate senior army officers who are opposed to the plan of having the president’s son, Brigadier Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni.

The government responded by shutting down the two independent media houses that published the contents of the letter.

Sejusa who also represents the army in parliament is currently in London where he has allegedly asked for police protection.