KAMPALA – Former Police chief, Gen. Kale Kayihura, faces death if he is convicted of the charges of failure to protect war materials that were read to him before the General Court martial in Makindye, Kampala, Friday.
Gen Andrew Gutti, the chairman of the court, presided over the proceedings.
Gen Kayihura was charged with aiding and abetting the kidnapping by commission, repatriating Rwandan exile and refugees and Ugandan citizens to Rwanda between 2012 and 2016.
He was also accused of failing to protect war material by issuing arms to unauthorized persons including Boda Boda 2010 members led by jailed Abdallah Kitatta between 2010 and 2018.
Kayihura arrives at Makindye Military court
Gen Kayihura denied the charges.
His lawyers, who wanted their client to be released on bail were asked to put their application in writing for consideration on August 28.
The case was adjourned to September 4, 2018.
Since June 13, Gen Kayihura has been confined to a two-bedroom apartment house in the Military Police Barracks at Makindye, a suburb of Kampala City.
During his tenure as police chief, the number of police officers rose from 15,000 to 50,000. He made stopping Dr Besigye’s quest for power his pet project, breaking up the gatherings of the Opposition chief and overseeing his arrest several times.
Towards the end of his tenure, the police office seemed to go a bit out of control, with President Yoweri Museveni accusing the Force of being infiltrated by criminals and eventually ordering the army to arrest a number of senior police officers and other Gen Kayihura’s associates, which ended with the arrest of Gen Kayihura himself.
By that time, crime seemed to spiral around the country, with killings, including of high profile citizens, and robberies being rampant.
