The Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has said that former Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura should be pardoned and rehabilitated if necessary.

In a tweet, Wednesday night, Gen Kainerugaba who is also the UPDF’s Land Forces commander noted that Kayihura, like Gen James Kazini and Brig Noble Mayombo was great cadres who inspired him to serve his nation.

“Gen K Kayihura was one of those special cadres in the early 1990s who inspired us to serve our nation. Others were late Generals Mayombo and Kazini. If he made mistakes, let us use revolutionary methods of work to rectify them. I request the CIC to forgive and rehabilitate him,” Gen Kainerugaba tweeted.

In August 2018, Gen Kayihura was arraigned before the General Court Martial on three charges. Two counts were on failure to protect war materials contrary to Section 122 of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act of 2005 and the third count related to aiding and abetting the kidnap and repatriation of Rwandan refugees in Uganda contrary to Sections 19 and 242 of the Penal Code Act.

He was however released after nearly two-and-a-half months in military detention. He was released on a Ush10 million bond. His three sureties were bonded for Ush5 million each. They were Lt Gen James Mugira, the head of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) business arm, the National Enterprises Corporation; Maj Gen Sam Kavuma, the then deputy commander of UPDF Land Forces; and Woman Member of Parliament for Entebbe Rosemary Tumusiime.

Gen Kainerugaba’s appeal echoes that of the people of Kisoro who asked the President to forgive the former IGP. A section of leaders in Kisoro District led by the district chairman, Mr Abel Bizimana recently appealed to President Museveni to pardon the former Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura.(Kampala post).