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Former Security Minister and presidential aspirant Lt Gen (rtd) Henry Tumukunde is set to appoint Daily Monitor journalist Ivan Okuda as his spokesperson.
In a bid to bolster his presidential bid, Okuda’s main task, according to sources in Tumukunde’s camp, will be to recruit at least 100 young brilliant Ugandans with the hope of giving Tumukunde’s campaign a lifeline.
Born in 1993 in Uganda, Okuda is a writer and lawyer having completed his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) studies at Uganda’s Makerere University in 2017 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Law Development Centre in 2019. He also undertook a Ford Foundation-funded one-year fellowship with the Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Studies (GLISS).
According to his LinkedIn account, Okuda is currently pursuing a Master of Arts (Journalism and Media Studies) with specialization in Media Law and Ethics and Investigative Journalism from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa on a Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Media Africa Scholarship, having been one of two journalists selected from Sub Saharan Africa for the scholarship.
Two weeks ago, Tumukunde launched his presidential bid and road map for 2021 where he unveiled his pressure group codenamed 'Renewed Uganda' with its slogan, 'Kisoboka' which literally means it’s possible.
Some of the people that attended the event in Kololo included former Member of Parliament Beatrice Kiraso, Chairman bodaboda Association of Uganda Charles Ndugwa, and city socialite Frank Gashumba among others.
The controversies
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigations Department of Police has summoned Tumukunde to record a statement on allegations that he held meetings with army veterans to discuss politics.
The letter to Tumukunde is signed by the Director Criminal Investigations, AIGP Grace Akullo, and is copied to Chief of Defense Forces, Inspector of Police and Deputy Inspector General of Police.
"The Director of Criminal Investigations is investigating allegations to the effect that on a number of occasions at your office and residence both in Kololo and other venues within the country, you have held meetings with army veterans discussing issues related to politics," the letter reads in part.
In March this year, Tumukunde was remanded after being charged with treason after making utterances in a series of radio and television interviews, which the police said sought to foster hatred that might lead to inter-community violence, fomenting and glorifying violence in general.
It is alleged that in addition, Tumukunde called on the support of a neighboring country to support him in removing the current leadership with or without the ballot.
