Museveni agrees to retire Sejusa

Uganda President Museveni has accepted to retire Gen David Sejusa from the army after a meeting at State President Museveni has accepted to retire Gen David Sejusa from the army after a meeting at State House Entebbe yesterday. He also ordered Military Police to leave Sejusa’s home in the city suburb of Naguru which they had surrounded since Friday morning. Gen Sejusa’s lawyers told Sunday Monitor at his residence after returning from State House Entebbe that the meeting lasted about 40 minutes. They said it was attended by former army commander Gen Elly Tumwine, Gen Sejusa, his lawyers Michael Mabikke and David Mushabe, the Chief of Legal Services in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Brig Ramathan Kyamulesire and at least five of the President’s aides.
Reading a statement from Gen Sejusa, the lawyers said the President instructed Brig Kyamulesire to immediately start the process of retiring Gen Sejusa from the army. Sejusa’s application for retirement was received last week and the army’s Commissions and Promotions Board has up to three months (90 days) to give its decision. On Thursday, Sejusa rejected an invitation for talks by Mr Museveni, demanding that the President first retires him from the army. On Friday, Sejusa again refused to talk to Mr Museveni by telephone and castigated the Commander-in-Chief for refusing to retire him when he allowed his brother Gen Salim Saleh and other senior officers to leave military service. He reiterated that he could only talk to the President after retirement. But this lasted up to yesterday morning. By 2pm the situation had changed and Gen Sejusa had been chauffeured to State House in Entebbe for talks with the President.
A calm looking Museveni entered the State House boardroom and after exchanging greetings with Gen Sejusa, he asked: “What issues do you want to discuss? I have been reading a lot of things in the newspapers. This is a small a matter. We have handled bigger issues before.” Gen Sejusa, clad in civilian attire, then informed the President about Military Police deployment at his Naguru home and reiterated his demand to retire from the army.
Museveni, dressed in a suit then took the meeting through events leading to Sejusa’s return from exile in London on December 14, dispelling speculation that he had struck a negotiated deal with Sejusa.
Daily Monitor