Kasambya County Member of Parliament Daudi Kabanda has launched a strong attack on former Internal Affairs Minister Gen (rtd) Kahinda Otafiire, accusing him of hypocrisy and engaging in what he termed “indirect political sabotage” against the government he serves.
Kabanda’s remarks come in the wake of Otafiire’s recent warning to Internal Affairs Minister Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, where the retired general cautioned against alleged extrajudicial killings by sections of Uganda’s security agencies, particularly within the Crime Intelligence Directorate.
In a statement, Kabanda suggested that some senior figures within the historical National Resistance Army (NRA) and ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) have long harboured political grievances against President Yoweri Museveni but avoid confronting him directly.
“Some Historical members of NRA/NRM who have always had political issues with their boss President Museveni… prefer to turn General Muhoozi Kainerugaba into a perpetual punching bag as a way of hitting at the president indirectly,” Kabanda said.
He added that such conduct, in his view, has had unintended political consequences, arguing that it has elevated Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba into a central political figure within Uganda’s power dynamics.
Kabanda singled out Otafiire as what he described as a leading figure in this trend, accusing him of targeting the military leadership and fueling internal political tensions while still serving in government.
“Otafiire has been the leader of this clique and he has provoked our generation enough,” he said. “A serving minister cannot utter such nonsense and Mzee thinks we shall just be happy about it and keep quiet.”
The MP further challenged Otafiire to take responsibility for his statements by resigning from Cabinet if he believes that the government he serves is involved in unlawful killings.
“Why doesn’t Otafiire resign his cabinet position if he thinks the Government of President Museveni that he serves kills people? Pure hypocrisy and cheap blackmail,” Kabanda stated.
Kabanda also defended Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, saying recent criticisms directed at him were part of what he described as coordinated political attacks against the next generation of leadership. He insisted that such strategies would not succeed.
“When Gen MK chose to get out and push back against these serial coordinated attacks and schemes against him, they started screaming! We shall not accept this,” he added.