President Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa over the weekend appointed embattled ex- ISO boss Kaka Bagyenda, Uganda’s envoy to Angola.
The appointment came as a surprise considering that a conservative Kaka had a few days been shown exit of ISO.
Reliable sources say, his name was sent to Parliament for vetting and subsequent approval before he flies to Central Africa to represent Uganda.
His appointment comes at a time Uganda had opened a new consulate, in Angola capital Luanda.
Col Kaka’s dismissal was triggered by the widening rift in the spy agency caused by rising allegations of extortion, robbery and internal bickering and authoring false intelligence briefs.
Also there had been uneasiness in how Kaka was brutally arresting suspects and also using inhuman methods to extract confessions from detainees who sometimes were forced to make revelations under duress.
At the epitome of these anti-human rights activities, a sister agency CMI raided ISO safe houses around Kampala and recovered many suspects who were languishing in these ‘torture chambers” and also arrested the operatives manning these places.
This is after high-ranking officials in the security circles were concerned of Kaka’s underhand methods of work.
He only had the backing of his godparent Gen Elly Tumwine- Minister of Security.
In 2019, lawyers under their umbrella body, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) accused Kaka of arresting, detaining and torturing citizens and usurping the powers of other security agencies and acting outside the law.
This came after Members of Parliament on Human Rights Committee were blocked from accessing suspected Safe Houses in Nkokonjeru, Kyengera ,Nalukolongo and Nakasero respectively.
They summoned Mr Kaka who refused before appear the committee to substantiate on claims made by a number of victims who had previous been detained in these chambers.
The MPs who visited these alleged chambers were chased away by soldiers manning the facilities. They said MPs needed clearance from ISO boss.
Tough Questions
A source in security told this website that Col Kaka was trapped into the ambassadorial job so that he faces MPs he earlier rebuked.
He must appear before Appointments Committee chaired by the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and other 24 legislators who have long waited for this opportunity to squeeze the chief spy.
“Take it from me, he will not go through Parliament. He is already fixed,” said a source.
All the MPs on the Appointments Committee were unavailable for a comment.
This website understands that Kaka’s close ally Gen Tumwine sits on this committee and is likely to shield him.
However, “Tumwine has poor relations with Kadaga. The Speaker felt undermined when Parliament summoned Kaka last year and he refused to appear,” added a source.
“Unless Museveni intervenes and saves Kaka, there is no way he is going to Angola,” a source concluded.
