Former Security Minister Henry Tumukunde has withdrawn his bid for the Rukungiri District NRM Chairperson role, a contest in which he was competing against the current Security Minister Jim Muhwezi.
Over the past several months, security and intelligence agencies have detained and interrogated numerous suspects linked to organized armed rebellion, plots to bomb crowded public spaces, and economic disruption through the vandalism of power lines, particularly in central Uganda.
In instances of widespread vandalism of electricity infrastructure, the districts most affected include Wakiso, Mukono, Kayunga, Luweero, Nakaseke, Kiboga, Nakasongola, Mityana, Mubende, Mpigi, and the greater Masaka region.
Some of those apprehended had previously posed as activists of opposition political parties, notably those associated with the National Unity Platform (NUP).
A significant number of these suspects have been charged in court and are currently remanded while they await their hearings.
The Inter-Agency Security Committee, chaired by the UPDF Chief of Defence Forces and comprising members from the Uganda Police Force, Prisons Services, and Intelligence Agencies, is working closely to infiltrate and dismantle terrorist and subversive cells that are actively luring unsuspecting youths into participating in rebel activities around the ghetto communities in the greater Kampala metropolitan area.
During its latest session, the committee resolved to take firm action against the leaders, organizers, and financiers of these rebel networks, which are partly aimed at disrupting the upcoming general elections scheduled for early next year.
There is compelling evidence linking some of the funding and mobilization supporting these destabilizing and traitorous groups, which oppose the NRM government, to certain accredited European diplomatic missions in Kampala.
We are especially troubled by the illegal and covert activities of the German Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Mathias Schauer. Intelligence reports indicate that his undiplomatic conduct has been unfolding in various parts of the country over a period of time, in clear violation of the 1961 Vienna Diplomatic Conventions that underpin cordial relations between states.
The Government of Uganda is addressing this disturbing development by engaging the concerned foreign mission through appropriate diplomatic channels.
Both the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the Inter-Agency Security Committee unequivocally condemn any foreign interference in Uganda’s internal affairs and will take decisive action against those intent on destabilizing the country.
Ugandan youths are advised to avoid falling prey to the traps set by hostile political actors who seek to exploit their vulnerabilities for political gain, and instead are encouraged to take advantage of government-backed wealth creation initiatives and youth development programs for their long-term benefit.
Local collaborators and agents of foreign manipulation in our country’s political and security spheres will continue to be identified, isolated, and dealt with rigorously in accordance with the law.
Between 1995 and 2005, he represented the UPDF in Parliament.
