In a press statement released today, President Yoweri Museveni announced his address to the nation on security matters, specifically on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
The address, scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 8 PM, marks the President’s first security briefing this year.
The announcement comes in the wake of a recent incident on January 2, 2024, involving the attempted assassination of prominent Kampala City Pastor Aloysius Bugingo.
The attack claimed the life of Corporal Richard Muhumumza, a bodyguard attached to the elite UPDF Special Forces Command. Muhumumza was fired upon over 10 times from the co-driver’s seat, raising suspicions of a targeted assault on the pastor.
This incident adds to a disturbing trend of gun violence that has taken the lives of several prominent Ugandans. Notable victims include vlogger Isma Olaxes in May 2023, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala (survivor of an assassination attempt), AIGP Alex Kaweesi, Abiriga Muhammed, Gen Muhammed Kiggundu, and Joan Magezi, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen on a motorcycle in Kampala.
The police today revealed a chilling link, connecting the weapon used in Olaxes’ killing to the one that claimed the life of Pastor Bugingo’s driver.
In a related update last year, President Museveni congratulated ISO and CID for their efforts in solving the Joan Magezi case, wherein five men, identified as Kibuuka John, Masajjage John, Kissekka Dan, and Nasur Abdalla, were arrested. The suspects were riding on two motorcycles during the attack in 2015.
Shifting focus to counter-terrorism efforts, the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) revealed the arrest of five terrorist suspects associated with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Operations conducted on December 30, 2023, in Rwenzori East, Kasese, resulted in the apprehension of three suspects found in possession of alarming items, including pangas, a solar panel, fuel, and tarpaulins.
A separate incident in Namutumba led to the arrest of a suspicious individual posing as mentally unstable near Kaswabuli Secondary School. The person’s abnormal behavior, coupled with the discovery of food supplies and peculiar sleeping quarters, prompted an investigation by JATT.
Meanwhile, in the Albertine region and Masindi district, the arrest of Kumakech Richard revealed alleged possession of materials for making explosive devices, including nails, welding rods, pliers, batteries, and six bullets of PK.
President Museveni’s impending address is highly anticipated, as the nation seeks clarity and guidance in the face of some security challenges.