The Minister for Internal Affairs Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire has said that the different people who have expressed satisfaction with the death of bush war comrade Gen Elly Tumwine have their right to do so.
According to Otafiire, it is not necessary to go around criticizing those celebrating Gen Tumwine’s death, he insists such people should be left alone because it is their right to be “stupid”.
“Those celebrating should be left to do so. It is their right to be stupid, you can stop someone from doing something stupid. In the army we are told that when your enemy combatant dies during war or if you kill them, you salute them because they are no longer your enemy, they have died,” Otafiire said.
“So those celebrating Tumwine’s death have a problem understanding,” he added.
Otafiire said that the comments made by Gen Tumwine during the height of the November riots could have caused his trouble but that was what he ought to have done according to the situation.
“I do not want to say it was right or wrong. It depends on the available situation. What would the minister of security have said? Should he have said no let protests continue so people kill security personnel?” he posed.
Gen Tumwine succumbed to lung cancer in Nairobi where he had been receiving treatment.
Following his death, a specific section of Ugandans took to social media to express satisfaction and jubilate.
Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemuju Nganda while commenting on Tumwine’s death said that it is sad the General had died before learning his lessons.
“The man who said that the security personnel have a right to shoot people to death is the one who has died. He had not learnt; he thought the army was above everything. The one who promised to kill people is the one God has called,” Ssemuju said.
Gen Tumwine is on record to have justified the actions of security personnel during the November 2020 riots.
“Police has a right to shoot you and kill you if you reach a certain level of violence,” Gen Tumwine said.
