Kale Kayihura

Background

Kale Kayihura was born in Kisoro District, Western Uganda, on 26 December 1955. He is the son of John Komuluyange Kalekezi, one of the Ugandans who fought for the African Great Lakes nation's independence, which occurred on 9 October 1962. His father died in an airplane crash in Kiev, Ukraine on 17 August 1960, when Kale Kayihura was only four years old. His mother is Catherine Mukarwamo, first-born child of Nyamihana, a former chief of Nyakabande Village. Nyamihana was also the father of Justice Joseph Mulenga Nyamihana, who served as President of the East African Court of Justice and died on 29 August 2012.

Formal education

He attended Gasiza Primary School in Kisoro District. He later transferred to Buhinga Primary School in Kabarole District. He studied at Mutolere Secondary School, in Kisoro District, up to Senior Four, under the care of his maternal grandmother, the late Sofia Nyamihana. His brilliance in school caught the attention of his paternal uncle, the late Frank Gasasira, an accomplished civil servant at the time, who took over responsibility of his education. In 1974, Kale Kayihura was enrolled in St. Mary's College Kisubi for his Advanced Level education. He studied Drama, History, English Literature and Economics. He did well and was admitted to Makerere University to study for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree He graduated in 1978 and proceeded to the London School of Economics from where he graduated with the degree of Master of Laws (LLM), in 1982, at age 26.

Military education

General Kayihura has attended a number of military courses including the following:

Public service

In 1982, following his graduation from the University of London, he joined the National Resistance Army, a rebel outfit that fought the regime of Milton Obote II and captured power in 1986. He has since grown in military rank and held multiple offices in the army and public service, including the following:

He currently serves as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Uganda Police Force. He has served in that position since 2005 when he replaced General Edward Katumba Wamala as the IGP. He is the second Ugandan military officer to serve as the chief of the Uganda Police Force, in the history of the country. General Kayihura is still an active member of Uganda's military and was previously the Head of the country's Revenue Protection Services.

Controversies

Kale Kayihura is largely perceived (amongst Uganda's political circles and a large section of the population) as working for and promoting Museveni's personal interests through squashing of Museveni's political opponents. During the 2016 general elections, he was behind the implementation of the controversial Public Order Management Act (POMA) which largely targeted opposition politicians and their rights to assemble. He has, in most cases appeared to be ruthless while dealing with opposition political protests. Kayihura infamously admitted before the media that he had sanctioned the beatings of supporters of Dr. Kizza Besigye, a leading opposition figure and four-time presidential candidate in Uganda. However, he later backtracked on his earlier statements due to public pressure and promised that the culprits (who had participated in the beatings) would face disciplinary action. A team of private lawyers also separately filed a criminal case against Kale Kayihura and other senior commanders for their involvement in the July 2016 beatings. Criminal summonses were issued by the magistrate court for the IGP and seven other senior officers to appear in court to answer charges of torture but none of them showed up in court. These proceedings were later halted by the controversial Deputy Chief Justice Steven Kavuma.

Private life

He is married to Angella Kayihura, a Kenyan of Rwandese descent. She is the granddaughter of Rudahigwa, the last king of pre-independence Rwanda. The Kayihuras are the parents of two children. He is reported to own a mixed farm on 350 acres (140 ha) of land in Kabula, Lyantonde District, on which he owns about 500 goats.