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 the responsibility of his education.
[2] General Kayihura has attended a number of military courses including the following:[3] 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 formerly served as the IGP of the Uganda Police Force.
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.
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.
[7] A team of private lawyers separately filed a criminal case against Kayihura and other senior commanders for their involvement in the July 2016 beatings.
Kidnappings-for-ransom, wanton murders and robberies, including a rash of unexplained tourist deaths; all un-solved, which left the security apparatus clue-less.
[11] On 13 September 2019, Kayihura was sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury for gross violation of human rights when he was head of the Uganda Police Force (UPF).
The sanctions relate to Kayihura's involvement in instructing the Flying Squad Unit to torture Ugandans at places such as the notorious Nalufenya Special Investigations Center in Jinja, Eastern Uganda.