KAMPALA.
The deputy chief of defense forces Lt Gen Sam Okiding is on the spot for reportedly taking sides in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) internal politics .
Mr Peter Paul Emaju, the winner of the NRM primaries in Kasilo County, Serere District is accusing Gen Okiding of allegedly orchestrating the arrest of his key supporters in the district.
Mr Emaju, won the NRM parliamentary flag with 9,420 votes against his closest rival, Mr Moses Edonu’s 4,951 votes .He claims Gen Okiding, whose favoured candidate Mr Edonu lost in July 17, 2025 polls is misusing his powers as a serving military officer.
“ Many of my supporters and agents have gone into hiding around the shores of Lake Kyoga due to intimidation and harassment from soldiers led by the deputy military chief,” he said
This comes after Kadungulu sub-county LC three chairperson, Mr Sam Eluru was reportedly violently arrested and whisked to Serere central police station where he was detained for one day before he went missing from police custody.
Mr Emaju said when he sent his people to check on Eluru at the police station over the weekend, he was told that he had been relocated to an unknown detention facility.
“After I made frantic calls to people within the security circles, I got information that Eluru is being held at the Second Division headquarters in Moroto on allegations of illegal possession of a gun,” he said.
Mr Emaju accused Lt Gen Okiding of using the arrests to force false confessions from his supporters, thus defying the Constitution which bars serving military officers from engaging in partisan politics.
Mr Emaju said that days to polling day, soldiers were deployed in Bugondo, Mairo Mukaga and Sunai areas, and when he tried to ask, he was told they duty was in connection with the murder of some women reported in the area.
The same soldiers were allegedly used to intimidate Emaju’s supporters and agents on polling day.
However, Gen Okiding, has since refuted claims of meddling into the NRM internal politics, arguing that the only arrest he ordered was of an army deserter who was allegedly seen donning an army uniform and wielding an SMG riffle which he used to harass voters on July 17.
He said that on the eve of the election, Eluru was seen in army uniform and a pistol, apart from the Eluru who don’t know of any person who was arrested.
“The army went to his home, searched, we even now have a clue who took the guns. If the complainant is against the arrest, then he knows where the guns are, we may come for him,” Mr Okiding said.
According to him, the high command sat and it was agreed that all the deserters must be arrested.
“I am a deputy CDF when a soldier misbehaves, who tells me not to discipline him,” Mr Okiding said.
When contacted about the matter, Mr Edonu said he was not in any way involved in the said arrests.
He said all the issues he had with the election were addressed in his petition before the party tribunal in Kampala.