GEN SEJUSA TAKES ON M7 OVER TEACHERS’ STRIKE: "Show them love, NOT the hammer! They're starving, NOT stubborn!"

Former Coordinator of Intelligence Services, Gen. David Sejusa, also known as David Tinyefuza, has made a passionate appeal to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, urging him not to sack striking teachers but to instead listen to their grievances, describing their current living and working conditions as “deplorable and desperate.”

In a strongly worded message shared on his official social media platform X, the outspoken retired general — who once served as Senior Presidential Adviser — expressed empathy for Uganda’s struggling teachers, warning the government against turning their plight into a political battle.

“I directly plead with the President to ignore those who try to politicize this issue or exploit it for partisan ends. Real good people are suffering here, and need no partisan crap to further ditch them. Just do the right thing, show the big heart, Sir, not the destructive hammer,” Sejusa stated.

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“Their situation is really bad”

Sejusa, who has lately taken a reflective tone on governance and social issues, said he has personally interacted with teachers and witnessed the hardship they endure, especially those at the primary school level.

“I have first-hand experience with these teachers now, and I can tell you their situation is really bad. Something needs to be done, Mr. President. Not to sack them or show them who is stronger — because they are already weak, at the mercy of Government — but to listen to their cry,” he said.

The general painted a grim picture of the current education sector, noting that many teachers are forced into undignified survival tactics due to low pay and lack of welfare support.

“We usually talk about Arts teachers, but I see the conditions of primary school teachers and the things they are forced to do to survive — I wouldn’t even write them here! And it’s the same people we expect to teach our children the next day,” he lamented.

“Why can’t Government reduce from the big earners?”

Sejusa drew a sharp contrast between the pay of teachers and that of high-ranking government officials, questioning the moral justification for such disparities.

“An MP earns almost a billion shillings a year — salary, allowances, travel, etc. That’s about Shs 80 million per month. Others earn more, like Speakers, Whips, the LOPs, Committee Chairs, RDCs, Advisors, and heads of parastatals. Why can’t Government reduce a little from these people and pay our teachers?” he asked.

He recalled that during Uganda’s early post-independence years, teachers enjoyed decent living conditions and respect, including free accommodation, food gardens, and education benefits for their children — privileges he said have long vanished.

“At that time, teachers had free accommodation at school campuses, their children studied free up to university level, and they had land to grow food. They earned decent pay. Today, it’s a shadow of that dignity,” he wrote, adding that he plans to retrieve archival figures to illustrate the decline.

Historical perspective

Sejusa also cited a precedent from the first Parliament, when some MPs — including then West Nile legislator Alexander Lobidra and George Magezi from Bunyoro — walked out in protest after a motion to increase MPs’ salaries was introduced by Obwangor.

“That was a time when leaders still cared about the country and values, not just self-interest,” he remarked.

His remarks come at a time when the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) has led industrial action demanding salary harmonization between Arts and Science teachers. The standoff has seen government threaten disciplinary action, including dismissal of those who refuse to return to class.

President Museveni has in the past maintained that salary increments must follow a phased and sustainable plan, arguing that prioritizing Science teachers was part of his strategy to drive Uganda’s modernization agenda.

However, Sejusa’s call adds a powerful voice to growing public concern over the welfare of educators — a sector many observers say is on the verge of collapse due to chronic underfunding, poor pay, and low morale.

Appeal for compassion

Concluding his message, Gen. Sejusa appealed directly to Museveni to act with empathy rather than authority.

“Something needs to be done urgently about teachers. Don’t show them the hammer — show them the heart,” he wrote.

Gen. David Sejusa, 70, served in several key positions within the UPDF and government before falling out with the regime in 2013 after accusing top officials of corruption and succession plotting. Though he later reconciled with the government, he has occasionally weighed in on national issues, often advocating for justice and reform.