afrol News, 1 September - Commander in chief of Ugandan armed forces, General Aronda Nyakairima, has promised to fend off "bad characters" said to be trying to wrest power from ruling National Resistance Movement party.

Gen Aronda, who about a month ago, reportedly announced that the army would respect whoever wins 2011 presidential election, is said to have suggested last Friday that his position may have changed.

"We liberated this country in 1986 and we will not allow bad characters from coming back to power. We will fight all these forces," the general was quoted as saying at Mubende Military Rehabilitation Center (MMRC).

He did not explain what he meant by "bad characters" or "these forces", both politically charged statements that clearly, are at odds with public comments recently attributed to him.

According to Ugandan law, it is unlawful for officers and men of UPDF to make divisive political statements or participate in active politics.

President of Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (OFPDC), Dr Kizza Besigye and former director general of internal security organisation, Brigadier Henry Tumukunde have in past been in trouble for making political statements, for what commander in chief likes to define as "speaking in the wrong forum".

Before his latest statements, Gen Aronda reportedly announced at a Makerere University function for National Guild Presidents' Council that army would stay out of partisan politics as required by law.

He said UPDF would support any candidate who wins 2011 general election, even if it was not president Yoweri Museveni.

Gen Aronda was addressing 222 UPDF officers and men, who included graduants in tailoring, brick-laying, motor vehicle mechanics, agriculture and computer science and rehabilitated officers awaiting redeployment, at MMRC.

He reportedly said plans were underway to make it compulsory for UPDF officers to undertake political science courses at Kaweweta-Ngoma school of political science, before deployment.

"We want to ensure that people who are going to operate our guns are politically right," the general said, after graduating officers sang songs in praise of Mr Museveni, while also doing thumbs-up sign to declare their support for his ruling party.

UPDF evolved from national resistance army, guerilla outfit that brought Mr Museveni to power in 1986. Mr Museveni, who recently ended his tour of eastern Uganda and is currently in south-western district of Kanungu, says he will accept his party's nomination to run for president in 2011.

Dr Besigye, Mr Museveni's main challenger in last two elections who is spearheading a united opposition ahead of 2011 polls, has also said he would accept his party's nomination to run for president.

Leader of Conservative party, John Ken Lukyamuzi, has said Gen Aronda's statements were "unconstitutional".

"He must stand warned that that kind of talk… has outlived its usefulness. No matter how strong you are, there are greater global forces that can fight you beyond the ordinary," Mr Lukyamuzi said yesterday.

A historian at Makerere University, Mwambutsya Ndebesa, also said Gen Aronda's statements were "dangerous".

"Who will define bad people? Because they are going to allocate themselves responsibility of defining who is good and who is bad, criteria will be biased. They are ready to interfere in civil politics of this country," Mr Ndebesa said.

Uganda's general elections have consistently been marred by violence. Human rights activists, opposition and Supreme Court condemned the army's involvement in elections.

2001 presidential election had been given notoriety by involvement of Kalangala Action Plan, a quasi-military outfit run by Major Kakooza Mutale, which reportedly beat up opposition supporters and earned condemnation of human rights activists.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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