Maj Gen (rtd) Kahinda Otafiire has left the Ministry of Internal Affairs with sharp criticism of senior Uganda Police Force leaders, accusing some of ignoring his directives during his tenure.
Gen Otafiire made the remarks last week as he handed over office to Prof Ephraim Kamuntu, the new Internal Affairs minister.
“All was well until [Maj Gen Geoffrey] Katsigazi left. You remember we were doing well until this regime came in. Some of them were not listening. Their problem was not listening. You tell them, don’t do this [they do the contrary],” Gen Otafiire said.
Maj Gen Geoffrey Katsigazi previously served as Deputy Inspector General of Police. He later became Acting Inspector General of Police before President Museveni appointed Mr Abas Byakagaba as IGP and Mr James Ocaya as deputy IGP.
Otafiire Warns Kamuntu on Alleged Extrajudicial Killings
A day after leaving the ministry, Gen Otafiire used his X platform to issue another warning to his successor.
“Hon Professor @KamuntuProf, I forgot to tell you, please don’t tolerate any form of extrajudicial killings, especially by a few rogue officers in the Crime Intelligence Directorate,” he posted.
When Daily Monitor asked IGP Byakagaba to respond to the former minister’s comments, he declined to comment.
“I have no comment. I can’t comment,” Mr Byakagaba said.
Maj Gen Christopher Damulira, the Director of Crime Intelligence, also dismissed Gen Otafiire’s statement.
“It is politics and blackmail,” Gen Damulira said on Saturday.
Gen Otafiire had initially praised Mr Byakagaba after his appointment. He publicly described him as more proactive than former IGP Martins Ochola.
However, by the time Gen Otafiire left office, his relationship with Mr Byakagaba and several police directors had deteriorated. Mr Byakagaba did not attend the handover ceremony at the Internal Affairs Ministry headquarters. He sent Mr Ocaya instead. Police directors also stayed away from the event.
Fallout With Crime Intelligence Leadership
After the 2021 General Election, Gen Otafiire worked closely with Gen Damulira. He praised him over investigations into claims involving National Unity Platform supporters.
During a Police Council meeting at police headquarters in Naguru in December 2022, Gen Otafiire accused some people of misrepresenting boda boda accident victims as torture victims.
“I have discovered that some of the people who were taken for a demonstration were boda boda accident victims. People took to Nairobi boda boda accident victims and claimed that they were victims of torture,” Maj Gen Otafiire said.
“This is criminal, and those people who did that should be brought to book. This is not politics. It has gone beyond the boundary of politics. It has become criminal. This is treason,” he added.
Security sources cited in the draft said the relationship between Gen Otafiire and Gen Damulira worsened after Gen Otafiire clashed with Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, now Chief of Defence Forces, over the question of succession after President Museveni.
“When the exchange was so intense, both were invited by Gen Salim Saleh for a ceasefire. Unfortunately, Gen Muhoozi went with Maj Gen Damulira, who is supervised by Gen Otafiire. From that day, their relationship turned sour around 2024,” a source said.
Gen Otafiire later accused some officers in the Directorate of Crime Intelligence of torture, illegal arrests and disregard for the law.
In earlier interviews with Daily Monitor, Gen Damulira admitted that some illegal actions existed among individual officers. He said those found culpable were disciplined.
Police Authority Tensions
A senior police officer cited in the draft said Gen Otafiire had no direct issue with Mr Byakagaba personally. The officer said the former minister’s bigger disagreements involved directors on the Police Policy Advisory Committee.
“I doubt that they would even talk to each other on the phone. For more than a year, Gen Otafiire didn’t call any meeting with the police. Not even one for the preparation plan for the General Elections,” the source said.
The source linked the tensions to land disputes, promotion controversies, divided loyalties and procurement disagreements.
Gen Otafiire had earlier identified police welfare and housing as key priorities after his appointment as Internal Affairs minister in 2021.
He promoted a public-private procurement project to build 69,000 housing units for personnel in the police, prisons and immigration services.
In February 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs backed Edicomsa International, a Spanish company, to lead accommodation development for the three institutions.
However, police leaders under Mr Ochola questioned the arrangement. They raised concerns about the company and feared that police land could be lost to private investors.
The Ministry of Finance also questioned the proposal. It cited unclear costs, construction sites and repayment plans. The Solicitor General rejected direct procurement and called for competitive bidding.
The finance ministry then directed the formation of a technical committee. The committee was tasked with confirming land ownership, house designs and repayment plans.
During the 2022 Police Council meeting at Naguru, Gen Otafiire accused the committee of delaying the project. He gave Police Under Secretary Aggrey Wunyi and other officials 90 days to resolve the issues.
Housing Project Delays
Gen Otafiire again criticised Ministry of Finance officials in November 2023 during a pass out of police and immigration officers at the Police Training School in Kabalye, Masindi District.
“Let me take this opportunity to accuse the Ministry of Finance that if it wasn’t for their bureaucratic methods of handling things, we would have gone far. The housing situation for these three institutions is pathetic,” Maj Gen Otafiire told President Museveni.
“So, Your Excellency, I would like you to fire the officers in the Ministry of Finance to finish the PPP (Public Private Partnership) project thing. You know when I talk, they think I am small, and I am a troublemaker. But I will not keep quiet,” he added.
When Mr Ochola left the police in March 2024, Acting IGP Katsigazi revived discussions on the housing project. Mr Byakagaba was appointed IGP two months later.
Gen Otafiire first described Mr Byakagaba as a forward-looking officer. But the two later disagreed over several issues.
One major dispute involved land at the Criminal Investigations Directorate headquarters in Kibuli. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had allowed private developers to take over part of the land.
Mr Byakagaba resisted the move, insisting the land belonged to police. A source said the dispute reached President Museveni, who blocked the investors.
Gen Otafiire later wrote to the parties confirming that the land belonged to police.
In September 2024, CID Director Tom Magambo told President Museveni during a visit to CID headquarters in Kibuli that he was ready to arrest “mafias” trying to grab police land. He also said Gen Otafiire had settled the issue by confirming police ownership.
Promotions and CCTV Deal Add to Disputes
Police promotions also deepened the disagreement between Gen Otafiire and police leaders.
At the handover ceremony, Gen Otafiire said police leaders frustrated his efforts to promote officers.
“Like the promotions. How many times have I called for promotions? I want to promote this number. And they would say ‘we aren’t ready.’ My friend,” he said.
A police source involved in the process said promotion lists were halted after officials discovered serious irregularities in June 2023.
“The police sent a list of officers recommended to be promoted to the chairman of the Police Authority. But when the promotion list came out, it had over 300 names of officers who hadn’t been recommended for promotion. Undeserving officers got promotions while their seniors were not,” the source said.
At least 1,638 police officers were promoted. They included seven senior commissioners, 17 commissioners and several other senior officers.
The source said the list included deserters, deceased officers and people with criminal records.
“There is a lady who deserted the police and fled to Canada. She was on the promotion list. She laughed at us on her social media platforms,” a source said.
The CCTV camera maintenance contract also caused friction. The Ministry of Internal Affairs awarded the deal to Dealan Associates Limited. Sources said the company was contracted to provide services worth Shs26b.
The police reportedly resisted payment despite Gen Otafiire’s insistence. The dispute later reached President Museveni.
Mr Museveni ordered parallel investigations by the Internal Security Organisation and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
In a May 26, 2026 letter to the head of public service, President Museveni directed that Internal Affairs Permanent Secretary Lt Gen Joseph Musanyufu and Police Under Secretary Aggrey Wunyi go on forced leave for six months. The move was meant to allow the Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate the matter.
As he left office, Gen Otafiire told police leaders that his exit did not mean he had lost interest in the ministry’s affairs.
“And don’t think I have left the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We are from Fronasa (the Front for National Salvation, a rebel group that was led by Mr Museveni in the 1970s). I told you. You people play around… You people work for promotion. For us, work for what we believe. That is why we put our lives on the line to ensure that we improve the lives of the people. So, professor, he will help you. I am comfortable with him (DIGP Ocaya),” Gen Otafiire said.