Details are emerging of the circumstances under which three senior Daily Monitor journalists were arrested and ordered to report to the CID headquarters at Kibuli. See Monitor journalists arrested, released on bond Monitor, Jan 3, 2009, Monitor journalists accused of 'aiding the enemy' Jan 6, 2009.

Our information is that when President Yoweri Kayibanda Museveni read the story by the Daily Monitor headlined "Reclusive Kony: UPDF's tactics under spotlight", he got very angry.

Museveni had hoped that the "Operation Lighting Thunder" against rebels of the LRA would highlight his son and successor-to-be, Lt. Col. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as a competent and successful battlefield commander.

But instead the operation has shown Muhoozi to be as incompetent as his father, President Museveni.

That is what made Museveni angry with the Monitor report. He got on the phone and called both the Chief of Defence Forces, General Robert Aronda Nyakirima and the Inspector General of Police, Major-General Edward Kale Kayihura and told them to "do something."

Aronda asked Kayihura to act and the police had to find something to charge the journalists with to cool down Museveni's anger.

There was also a major disagreement between Aronda and Muhoozi on how to prosecute the Operation Lightning Thunder. The reports from our sources in the army on how Aronda felt it was not wise to to extensive bombing because it could harm civilians, have been proved correct.

Muhoozi, who is under pressure to prove to his father that he is a "man" wanted the MiG-21 to bomb the area before LRA leader Joseph Kony had time to escape.

Muhoozi stormed out of the meeting with Aronda and another officer in charge of the operation, Brig. Patrick Kankiriho, who was in charge of the field operation.