Crime preventers boss flees country, Museveni calls him back

The former head of crime preventers, Blaise Kamugisha briefly ran out of the country last month as reports circulated that he would be arrested, sources have told The Nile Post.

The same sources told us that his excursion to Nairobi was cut short by a telephone call from President Museveni who assured him that he would not be arrested.

Kamugisha reportedly fled Kampala on the night of June 21 by road. He used a pseudo-name and temporary travel documents to cross the border.

We have been told that upon arriving in Nairobi, Kamugisha contacted some people at State House who put him through to Museveni.

After a conversation with the president, Blaise returned to Kampala using a Kenya Airways flight that landed at Entebbe on June, 24.

As the head of crime preventers, Kamugisha was close to Gen Kale Kayihura and since the arrest of the former IGP, he has been living in fear.

Sources said there were intelligence reports linking him to the recruitment of rebels to overthrow government under the guise of recruiting crime preventers.

These reports had made their way to the desk of Col Kaka Bagyenda, the head of Internal Security Organisation (ISO).

But Bagyenda denied the reports.

"That is not true. those are just social media rumours. we have no reason to look for him," he told The Nile Post.

Kamugisha also told us that he was okay and dispelled reports that he had attempted to flee the country.

“The President had no reason to intervene on my behalf, I’m okay  and living a normal life”, Blaise told Nile Post.

It is more than a week since he returned to Kampala, however Kamugisha is said to be living a low key life.

As a right hand man of the IGP, Kamugisha wielded a lot of power that even as a civilian, senior police officers feared him.

In March at a ceremony where Museveni ordered that crime preventers be integrated into the UPDF, Kamugisha pledged his loyalty to President Museveni.

“We can kill for you Mr President,” Blaise told Museveni.