Brig Kayanja takes over as mountain division commander

Fort Portal, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  |  Brig Gen Muhanga Kayanja has taken over as the new Commander of Mountain Division in the Rwenzori Sub-region.  Kayanja has replaced Brig-Gen Moses Kwikiriza who was the commander of the division since 2019 when it was created.

Last month, President Kaguta Museveni appointed Brig-Gen Kayanja to coordinate Kampala joint security operations.

Peter Elwelu, the Commander Land Forces, who was the guest of honour at an event that was held at the division headquarters at Muhooti Barracks, Central Division, Fort Portal Tourism City, on Tuesday asked Kayanja not to engage in civilian affairs even though he is a born of the same area, saying it will fail his work of ensuring peace in the area.

The LCV Chairperson Kabarole Richard Rwabuhinga asked Kayanja to end the rampant kidnaps and livestock thefts in Rwenzori Sub-region that he said have remained a major challenge. 

For over three years now, there have been rampant cases of kidnaps in Kabarole and Fort Portal, with kidnappers stealing children from homes and asking parents for ransoms.

In most cases, the kidnappers have returned the children after being paid a ransom.  In 2018, the police arrested a suspect, Amos Mugume for alleged kidnap. However, in October last year, he escaped from Kitojo prison in Fort Portal where he was on remand.    

Mugume took advantage of a heavy downpour that day to escape. 

At the same time, theft of livestock like cattle, goats and pigs, has been on the rise in the whole Rwenzori Sub-region.   

But Kayanja said these are petty cases that he can end within the shortest time possible.

Among the solutions he suggested was stopping the transportation of livestock at night.   

Meanwhile, Kukiriza will be heading the Chieftaincy of Mubende Rehabilitation Center – CMRC. The Centre was established in 1986 to provide physical and psycho-social rehabilitation and support to disabled combatants and family.   

He said that while he was still the Mountain Division commander, he ensured teamwork that led to total security in the area, urging Kayanja to emulate him.   

In 2014, Museveni appointed Kayanja to work in Somali as the Uganda People’s Defense Forces – UPDF Contingent commander.   

The Mountain Division was created in November 2020. It stretches from Katunguru in Kasese district to Mubende and Kyegegwa districts. It will help reinforce security in the region which has in the past been under the threat of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) now located in Eastern DRC. 

The Division was ordered by the Chief of Defence Forces -CDF Gen David Muhoozi to deal with security threats in the region.

In the 1990s, the ADF rebels terrorized the Rwenzori region in the districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo and Kabarole for over a decade. During the insurgency, the rebels are believed to have killed more than 3,000 people and displaced 100,000.

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