Ugandan general questions Museveni succession plan

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Breaking ranks with the military high command, a general is accusing President Yoweri Museveni of trying to ensure his son replaces him, the first top official to raise concerns about the purported succession plan.

David Sejusa, one of only six generals in the Ugandan military and a member of its high command, said in a recent letter to the head of the internal security service that he wants an investigation into allegations that those opposed to Museveni's son as a future leader could be targeted for assassination.

The allegations by a military official believed to be near the center of power have shocked many in Uganda. The army's top commander ruled Sejusa "out of order" and accused him of subverting the country's military laws. Some analysts now believe the apparent division among the military's top brass suggests a power struggle amid uncertainty over when Museveni, in power for almost three decades, will retire and who might replace him.

Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, the army's top commander, issued a statement Tuesday saying the military was offended by Sejusa's letter, in which Sejusa alleged that the idea of Museveni's son taking over as president when his father retires "is becoming divisive and creating fertile ground for causing intrigue" in the armed forces.

"The (Ugandan military) takes exception to the fact that the spirit of the general's letter simply champions the agenda of the radical and anarchic political opposition, hence rendering him partisan," Nyakairima's statement said. "I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the general public that the (Ugandan military) is a cohesive, effective, efficient and pro-people force ... loyal to the people, the commander-in-chief and the constitution of Uganda."

Museveni's son, a senior army officer named Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has been rapidly promoted over the years, leading some to believe he's being groomed to succeed his father. Last year he was made an army brigadier in changes that also saw him become the top commander of the country's special forces, an elite unit widely seen as the most powerful in the military. The special forces guard the country's oil installations and are also in charge of the president's security. In this position Kainerugaba answers to his father.

Museveni, himself a serving army general, has never publicly said he wants his son to succeed him. But rumors to the contrary have persisted, fuelled in part by the son's strong position in a military institution that wields substantial power in this East African country.

Angelo Izama, a Ugandan analyst who runs a security think tank called Fanaka Kwawote, said there was likely a power struggle within the army ranks as the older generation of army officers gradually loses power to the new guard, of which Kainerugaba is the most prominent member. Sejusa is one of the original bush-war fighters at the side of Museveni when his rebels took Kampala in 1986.

"The younger officers are now effectively in charge," Izama said. "Some of these things reflect the older officers' disenchantment with this state of affairs. Succession has already begun in the military, and it has proceeded apace."

It remains unclear if Museveni will seek another term in office when his current one expires in 2016.

Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, a prominent Ugandan lawyer and political analyst, said Sejusa had given voice to an issue that few in the military have the courage to speak of.

"It's a fact that he's not alone in thinking this way about Museveni's son," Rwakafuuzi said. "Many of the army officers haven't spoken their mind, but they know that Muhoozi's meteoric rise does not augur well for politics in this country."

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Ugandan leader donates sack of cash, drawing ire

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — It's become an infamous photo in Uganda. The country's leader looks on in bemusement as a young man bends low to carry a sack filled with a donation from the president — almost $100,000 in cash.

The money is a donation from President Yoweri Museveni to a partisan group of youths in eastern Uganda, where he struggles to win votes in national elections, and activists and opposition politicians are seizing upon the moment as a blatant example of political corruption in Uganda.

The picture, which was distributed by the president's office after the event last weekend, was meant to highlight Museveni's generosity toward a group of youth. Instead it has focused attention on Museveni's profligacy during political tours and what some say is his role in fueling graft in the East African country that he has led since 1986.

Museveni has long been accused of using public money at his disposal to build the patronage networks that have kept him popular in some parts of the mostly impoverished country. He makes many promises at campaign rallies and distributes brown envelopes to supporters who beg for his help at campaign stops.

But donating a sack filled with Ugandan bills hit a raw nerve among critics who say it makes the president look like he's actively buying support. Others say it sets a bad example in a country that depends on foreign donors to finance about 25 percent of its budget.

"It's not generosity; it's patronage," said Bishop Zac Niringiye, a retired Anglican cleric. "The level of patronage is also related to regime longevity. He's stayed in power for too long and he thinks he can do things and get away with them."

The political success of Museveni, who took power by force in 1986, has been built in part on the idea that he is the generous, moderate politician who rescued Uganda from brutal dictators. But some also see a desire to stay in power at all costs. In 2005 Museveni had term limits removed from the constitution so he could run for office again, and Ugandan police routinely block the opposition from holding rallies. The ruling party, citing indiscipline, last week expelled four lawmakers who persistently criticized official corruption.

Museveni, who was re-elected in 2011, has not said if he will run when his current term expires in 2016, by which time the president who is now in his late 60s would have ruled Uganda for three decades. The substantial cash gifts he's giving out suggest he's looking forward to the next election, some opposition politicians and activists say.

"This is the new form of corruption that we need to talk about ", said Geoffrey Ekanya, an opposition lawmaker. "It's actually theft of public resources."

Ekanya said giving garden tools and seeds to the jobless youths would have been a more meaningful gesture than giving out cash that will be fought over.

The president's office defended the cash gift, saying "donations" are budgeted for. Frank Tumwebaze, a government minister for presidential affairs, said the rest of the money comes from entertainment per diems that Museveni doesn't claim for himself. The president's office said the sack had 250 million Ugandan shillings in it, just shy of $100,000.

Because some of the money is given in sealed envelopes, it's hard to tell how much Museveni donates. The lack of transparency has often brought his office into conflict with lawmakers who are asked to pass supplementary budgets after the presidency runs out of cash midway through the year. Lawmakers approved $23 million for the president's official household in the last budget, but at least $74 million has already been spent and more will be needed before the year is up, according to lawmakers handling the presidency's latest budget proposal.

Museveni, who has two official residences, flies in a Gulfstream private jet. This year he added two new Mercedes Benz limousines to his motorcade. In a country that is short of nurses and doctors, and where teachers have recently gone without pay, some say such expenditures are unacceptable.

Jackie Asiimwe-Mwesige, an anti-corruption activist, said she hopes Ugandans will now "smell the coffee."

"Which president walks around with kilograms of money? It looks so pedestrian. It doesn't augur well for his stature," she said.

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