General David Sejjusa says he has returned to Uganda to fight impunity and to struggle to restore the rule of law and political normalcy.
“These were my ideals when I left Uganda and they are still my ideals today,” he told journalists at his country home at Nkoma Village, Lugusuulu Sub-county, Ssembabule District.
“I left Uganda last year on April 31 under normal travel schedule. I arrived in Britain the following day only to learn that all my assistants had been arrested and that I was due for arrest.
I went ahead to book a flight on British Airways to return on May 9th but then the government deployed soldiers all over Entebbe Airport. So I thought it prudent not to come.
But there was no need for all that excess deployment of security forces at the airport. I was not armed and if I arrived they would only summon me to a police station or any other security organ. There was no need to embarrass themselves.
However when you are denied free entry into your country you must arrange for a forceful entry and I began mobilizing for that.
Mind you mobilizing to force my way back was also dictated upon me because it is your adversary that guides your actions. So I have been mobilizing.
But I think they have now realized that such excesses are not sustainable and they are not even good for the regime. When I arrived last night at the airport there were soldiers, and I remember seeing the Director General of ISO and the other soldiers. I just passed by them but I had also invited my lawyer Rwakafuzi who escorted me to my sister’s car.
My sister was there to receive me and I think it was Rwakafuzi who first made a statement about my arrival to one of the radio stations.”
“You can see that I traveled in civilian cars and I am not armed. I had assured everyone that I would come back the way I went and I am back. I am not yet arrested but you will soon hear about the arrest.
Many of these other issues I will talk about them later as for now I am here to be with my people. They have been there to bury my father and my brother. They have protected my cows and the pasture and the water on my farm. And it is not just the people of Ssembabule that I am grateful to but so many others in Uganda who have comforted me all the time I have been in exile.”
Asked about if he would be present at Namboole on Monday Sejusa answered: “In which category would I go to Namboole? That is an NRM thing for people like Museveni and Mr. Amama Mbabazi. And by the way I have never belonged to the NRM party. What I can say is that I went to the bush as a member of the NRA and later the NRM was formed which was supposed to be all encompassing. However in 2005 after a referendum the NRM party was formed but as a serving member of the UPDF I could not qualify to belong to any party. So how do I go to Namboole? As an observer or an intruder to be arrested?”
As he spoke to the press his sister brought him his mobile phone a few time and he would first ask everybody to leave and get out of earshot for him to speak on his phone. It was clear he was talking to some confidants far away. There were also some two check points along the road to his farm manned by people dressed in civilian clothes and were apparently unarmed. They would ask for everyone’s identification and make a judgment whether to let a person proceed or not. Some people were turned away. But there was a constant stream of people going to his house where a bull had been slaughtered for roasting.
Story by Ezekiel Ssewanyana & Michael J Ssali.
