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Former Inspector General of Police, General Kale Kayihura, is scheduled to retire from the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) this month along with nine others. The UPDF has confirmed that Kayihura will be retiring and has extended their best wishes to him. If the list of retiring officers remains unchanged, Kayihura, as a four-star general, is two to three ranks higher than the other retiring officers.

General Kale Kayihura, the former Inspector General of Police, is set to retire from the UPDF this month. The UPDF has revealed that he is one of nine generals scheduled for retirement from the military, even though he is still facing charges in the General Court Martial. The General Court Martial allegedly met with President Yoweri Museveni, who serves as the military’s commander in chief, on Friday to discuss the charges made against Kayihura.

The former Police chief was accused of failing to safeguard military supplies, failing to oversee police officers, and aiding and abetting kidnapping. Since 2020, Kayihura has been free on bail. According to rumors, the President had consented for the General Court Martial in Mankind to dismiss the allegations against Kayihura so that he could leave the UPDF.

Although Col. Deo Akiiki, the UPDF’s deputy spokesperson, would not comment on the meeting between the President and the general court martial, he said anyone curious about Gen. Kayihura’s whereabouts should be aware that he is scheduled to retire this month.

“What I can confirm is that the General will be among the 10 Generals to retire from the UPDF. We wish the General the best of his retirement time and we shall always consult him as one of the mentors of most of us remaining behind in active service,” Col Akiiki said.

The most senior of the ten retiring senior military officers, Kayihura has the rank of a four-star general. Gen. Kayihura is two to three ranks ahead of other retiring Generals if the list of retiring commanders does not change, as it has occasionally done.

Brigadiers Steven Oluka, Augustine Atwooki, and others are listed three ranks below the former IGP, while Major Generals Wasswa Mutesaasira and Joseph Arocha are listed two ranks below Gen. Kayihura.

On March 4, 2018, Gen. Kayihura was fired from his role as IGP, which he had held for more than 12 years, and Martin Okoth Ochola took over in his place.

Kayihura was detained in an operation led by CDF Wilson Mbadi, who is currently the Chief of Defence Forces, then the deputy Chief of Defence Forces, in June of the same year.

Gen. Kayihura had suggested, during his final days as IGP, that individuals charged with crimes carrying the death penalty, such as murder, terrorism, and robbery be detained for at least 90 days before being brought to court to give investigators time to compile more than enough evidence for a successful trial.

Gen. Kayihura was jailed at the Military Police headquarters in Makindye for 76 days without being tried after being taken into custody by the Army he served. He was later charged with three offenses in the Court Martial after being arraigned there: The first point was that war materials weren’t properly protected contrary to section 122(1) (2) of the UPDF Act 2005.

According to the specifics of this count, Gen. Kayihura permitted the use of weapons and ammunition between 2010 and 2018, including by members of the BodaBoda 2010 movement led by Abdullah Kitatta, who was imprisoned before him.

The Flying Squad, the Specialized Operations Unit, the Witness Protection Unit, and the Crime Intelligence Directorate of the Uganda Police Force were all specialized units under the control of the IGP. The second charge was that Gen. Kayihura failed to oversee and ensure accountability for the weapons and ammunition issued to these units. Gen. Kayihura was charged with assisting and abetting kidnapping from Uganda as the third count.

He is accused of committing this crime between 2012 and 2016. Including former Rwandan presidential guard Lt. Joel Mutabazi, Jackson Karemera alias Ndiga, and Sgt. Innocent Kalisa, he by omission and commission assisted and abetted the actions of subordinate police officers and others on numerous occasions without hindrance to kidnap and illegally repatriate Rwandan exiles, refugees, and Ugandan citizens to Rwanda.

“The discussions have been taking place behind the scenes, and he will be exonerated before the military retirement will be formally announced. Everything is virtually finished, according to the source, including his legal team, which is overseen by his attorney Jet Tumwebaze.

However, attempts to reach Tumwebaze were unsuccessful since he did not answer the phone. Before Gen. Kayihura retires and receives approval from the military court, these allegations must be withdrawn for him to recover full freedom. Otherwise, Gen. Kayihura will continue to be a suspect in ongoing proceedings even after his retirement.

Despite the problematic occurrences Gen Kayihura has encountered over the past five years, he is credited with drastically altering the police force’s size, training, fleet, weaponry, and organizational structure.

Gen. Kayihura succeeded his namesake Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala in 2005, when the police force had 14,000 members, but he stepped down in 2018, when there were 46,000.

He discovered the police renting near Parliament Avenue, but he left it in the permanent, multi-story building that is now the station’s administrative center at Naguru.

Gen. Kayihura established the forensic directorate, constructed several district and regional police stations, oversaw the installation of CCTV cameras, and began building police housing units. He also encouraged, supported, and recruited young athletes into the police force, and as a result, they have brought the nation numerous gold Olympic and Commonwealth medals.

Gen. Kayihura is set to retire as a billionaire if nothing changes since he will be entitled to his entire five-year salary. Additionally, the UPDF leadership upped a general’s pay from just over three million shillings to 15 million shillings during his tenure.