Where are the Kayihura loyalists who attacked court in 2016 to block his trial?

It is now a public secret that the former Inspector General of Police, General Kale Kayihura is in the custody of the UPDF following his ‘meeting’ with the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. David Muhoozi.

A statement was issued by the army’s spokesperson Brig. Richard Karemire that caused a media frenzy leaving people confused as to whether the former IGP was under arrest or indeed was having an expensive meeting with his boss, the CDF – one that involved sending a military chopper twice to Kashagama, in Lyantonde to pick the maverick General.

But now, Matooke Republic can confirm that Kayihura is indeed in the custody of the army although the Chairman of the General Court Martial Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti said he was unaware of the arrest and the likely charges the former IGP might be facing.

Kayihura’s arrest and a likelihood of being Court Martialled brings a scenario to mind. On April 10, 2016, a group of Kayihura’s loyalists led by the notorious Abdallah Kitatta, besieged Makindye Chief Magistrates Court protesting his appearance before the Court after he sued and summoned to court over police officer’s involvement in the ruthless beating of opposition politician Kizza Besigye supporters in Makindye a month earlier.

Kitatta, who himself is battling the same Court Martial after being in possession of a gun and military gear is quoted to have said that, “I am not a policeman. I am his (Kayihura) friend and I can’t stand anyone who dares to get in his way. I have the capacity to save the Inspector General of Police from any enemy.”

When the news broke that the former IGP has been arrested, Ugandans went crazy on social media in excitement using the hashtag #ICanComfirm. It was hard to find any of the loyalists that Kayihura can count on to come to his rescue.