The truth about Amin and Acholis at Bulange

February 28, 2009 at 11:59 pm (History, KINGDOMS)
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I don’t know who told some Ugandans that the Police, Army and Prisons Officers were gathered at today’s Bulange by Amin however, whoever it is might have been told by someone else who had exaggerated the story. In other words, The story is false.

In 1977 all units of the Uganda Army, Uganda Air Force including the Military Police, with an exception of the General Headquarters of the Uganda Armed Forces received an order from the Command Post issued by President Amin himself that the Acholi and Langi had to be killed. It was nolonger a secret as military trucks and buses kept bringing the widows and their children to the Uganda Transport Company (UTC) Bus parks. Many widows and their children from the Western and Central Regions were left at the Kampala UTC Bus park, near Nakivubo to take buses to Gulu or Kitgum. I was at the General Headquarters Uganda Armed Forces, ” The Republic House”, as it was known then. It is the Bulange of the Kingdom of Buganda today. The order was ”Top Secret”, so that even the General Headquarters and its Intelligence personel were left in ” darkness’.

I was personally shocked when one evening I passed by the UTC park place in Kampala. This I did because I had received a phone call from a very close friend who was with the 2nd. Paratroopers Battalion in Fort Portal. The friend had told me about the killings and that the women and their children were being transported to Kampala. At my arrival at the UTC park, the place was overcrowded by women and children. I could easily notice that these were either Acholi or Langi. While looking around, I recognized a Sergeant Okello of the 2nd. Para. Battalion trying to get away.

I quickly followed him where he was trying to hide. He later told me that he was actually trying to hide from me. He told me that he was heading for Gulu, but the UTC officials had announced that the bus to Gulu would be available the following morning. Realizing that he was hungry, scared and unsure to get the bus to Gulu, let alone being recognized as an Acholi deserter by the State Research Bureau ( SRB ) agents who might have killed him with minimum delay, I took him to the Army Sports Club (formally known as Lohana Club). I had a room which I used as my dressing room whenever I went for boxing or volley ball practice. I instructed the chief cook (a civilian) to bring some food to my room, which he did and Sergeant Okello ate and slept in my dressing room. I instucted him not to open the door for anyone and promised him that I would personally take him to the UTC park the following morning. Before I left him he told me a lot which I verified with other colleague from his Battalion. The following morning, I came and the Chief Cook brought some breakfast to Sgt.Okello, after which I took him to the Bus park where he boarded the bus to Gulu. I met him at the ” Bulange” after Amin’s fall.
In the same year, 1977 after the killings of the Acholi and Langi, as I mentioned above, all the Officers and Men of the General Headquarters were summoned for a ” Briefing ” by the General Staff Officer, in – charge of Training and Operations, Brig. General Isaac Maliyamungu and the Commandant of the General Headquarters, Uganda Armed Forces, Lt. Colonel Pangarasio Onek. Brig. Gen. Maliyamungu said that he was surprised by the cowardice of the Acholi and Langi Officers and men who came to work, but simply diappeared before time, or sometimes came late and left before time. Lt. Colonel Pangarasio Onek turned and saluted saying, ”Iko watu wanachomachoma ao chindano kwa matako yao.” ( in a better translation, ”There are people who are scaring them.” )

At that moment Brig. Gen. Maliyamungu told the Acholi and Langi Officers and Men to name without fear anyone who has scared them. Maliyamungu promised to ”deal” with such a person whether he is an Officer or not. He instructed Captain Taban, the Adjutant of the General H/Qs UAF to write down all the names mentioned. Some hands were already up, most likely to name those responsible. One soldier was picked, stood up and saluted. The moment he started to speak, Brig. Gen. Maliyamungu instructed the soldier to sit. Maliyamungu said that some Acholi and Langi would be scared to talk in the presence of other tribes. At that juncture, he ordered all Officers and Men from other tribes to vacate the room. He again said that the Acholi and Langi must talk freely and name anyone responsible for their fear. At that moment I sensed danger. I told those seated near me, ” Let’s get out, you are not politicians.” Those who remained behind were overwhelmed by the troops who were hiding, but entered after we had vacated the room. We could hear them screaming. Lt. Colonel Pangarasio was not harmed. One of the soldiers who heeded my call to vacate the room was Sergeant Ouma, who later became one of the Body Guards of Brig. General David Oyite Ojok. He also saved my life when I was supposed to be murdered, that I was a ” Museveni Guerrilla.”

By the time Idi Amin took power in 1971, Dr, A. Milton Obote was very unpopular, but the Armed Forces, Police and Prison Services had a very large number of Officers from the Acholi and Langi. If the killings you mentioned occured to the Acholi and Langi Officers stationed around Kampala area, I think those stationed upcountry would have known, the consequence of which would have been a mutiny that would have collapsed the government. What I think happened, was that the Acholi and Langi officers and men were systematically picked from many army, police, prisons’ barracks and murdered. Those who survived the 1971 killing believed that those killed were Dr. Obote’s loyalists. I was at Kamuli College Namasagali at the time and many people were killed there and thrown in the River Nile. The Army Officers came to our college in the evenings and told us to walk quietly from our night preps (classes) to the dormitories. We were told by the Officers that the Army would be conducting military exercises and that we should not be alarmed. Later in the night, we heard gun fire that lasted about an hour. That happened on several occasions. The College dining room was situated close to the River Nile and we could see very clearly across the Nile to Bugerere side. The following morning from the supposedly military exercise, we were shocked to see many dead bodies floating on the Nile. Most of them were dressed in military uniform. As some dead bodies were stuck close to the dining room, some members of our College Staff used the school boat to push them across the river to the Bugerere side.
I am not saying for sure that Ugandans told about this did not happen, but the probability seems doubtful, as many Langi and Acholi, especially Acholi remained in their posts until years later. Many who were convinced that they had nothing to do with the deposed President Obote did not run into exile, and that’s why upon his return to power in 1980, Dr. Obote did not trust the Acholi. That was very clear when Brig. General David Oyite Ojok died and could not be replaced by any of the most high ranking Acholi officers

With this, I hope that more people who know the truth about what transpired during and after Idi Amin’s rule should come forward and let us know. It is only the knowledge of the truth that will heal our hearts.
May God Bless Uganda.

Byaruhanga, Jonny Rubin.

former UPDF Officer/residing in Europe

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How Museveni has duped Ugandans for so long

February 27, 2009 at 5:19 pm (Africa, POLITICS)
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I am not accusing any Ugandan of supporting Museveni, just on record Museveni has no supporters and he needs no supporters from the word get go. Museveni operates by intimidation and his writing is very clear that if you terrorize the masses they obey. What I stated is that most ugandans became a victim of one of his ways. Museveni uses mass media today, but in Luwero he used what he termed Siyasa. They come on a village and pour out a barrage of information when it is all a lie and Ugandans buy it. They had a tactic of pilling up banana trees and then lie to the population that they have got a massive gun that is going to be used from Nakaseke and bomb Bombo barracks to smithereens. And a Muganda would show up at your door and tell you how he has seen such a huge gun in Nakaseke that is going to take Bombo Barracks down. The matter of fact was that they covered the pile of bitooke with a Tundubaari. When you ask him if he saw the physical gun, a Muganda goes no but I saw it covered by Tundubari. Not only the population was targeted, so was UNLA.

NRA used to line up its fighters holding AK47’s then they would fire bullets as they were lined up, so one bullet from my gun to yours to the next one, and it kept on going on and on. The government soldiers listened to the firing and they failed to figure out what gun would fire that long without interval. They too thought that NRA had special weapon they never trained into. And this worked for NRA for it affected the soldiers physiologically. But much of it fruited for the population was ignorant.

And that ignorance did not start in Luwero, many Baganda actually believed that Sir Edward Mutesa had a gun installed in Lubiri but the Amin’s would not remove it for if they removed it the entire Kampala would collapse. That lie walked Kampala taverns till when Amin came to power. Bottom line there was no gun like that in Lubiri and it simply does not exist. The same Baganda belied that Tanzania forces had a gun called Sabasaba which would pick up a soldier among a group of people, they stated that if many people are sitting down the bullet will only pick up who ever had a uniform and a gun. No actually the reason not many civilians were not killed during that war was because unlike NRA, UNLF did not target civilians. And I will come back to that point after.

The same Baganda believed that President Binayisa brought equipment that can pin point a gun, and they said if you have a gun in your house they will simply walk into the house and pick it up. That equipment was not in Uganda and it simply does not exist. What I am accusing Ugandans is that they bought in those lies and half truths and they depended on them to make a decision of their political path, which was to follow Yoweri Museveni and NRA/M to ChakamuChaka.

Uganda never went to DRC for security reasons; your governors simply used the same ignorance of the population to build that war as they have built the war in the North for generations. When the French left Rwanda, they were replaced by the British and Americans and the main target was to replace the French and Belgium’s in DRC to mine as soon and as much as they could. DRC  had minerals but DRC also had timber. It was a search of personal income, but in the process they used that time to make sure that they kill as many Hutus as possible.

You see before they go for a loot they have to get a story well written, they create the victim, who will be killed and then they will loot as the rest of you are praising their successes. When they wanted to take the land of Acholi they pumped up a name of Konny, a man that tried to fight Uganda and gave up twenty years or so ago. They maintained that name as the rest of you bought the story, the cows were driven to Acholi land and are grazing as you read this writing. Many UPDF officers own large farms in Acholi land and you can verify this with Kateregga, so you need to have the ability to question how a major can hold a farm in the North and Konny does not kill him but when an Acholi moves from his camp to his house Konny kills him. Surely Ssemuwemba can’t you question that? Did any one ever move his cows into Luwero and start to graze during the war? Why do we have thousands of cows in Acholil and today grazing and Konny does not affect them at all? Surely Ssemuwemba can’t you question that either? Why  take the cows to Acholi land? Because many of those cows were looted from Karamoja and they would not survive in the land scape of Ankole which is wet grounds and rain, they needed a land as dry as Karamoja, and Acholi land was available for grabs. So pack the population in camps and graze the damn cows while singing Konny is killing the Acholis.

Uganda government went to DRC to create a safe heaven for the western companies that mine DRC dry and in return the Museveni’s Besigye’s were also allowed to loot as much as they would. It was a business investment, and that is why I was so offended by Ssabassajja who clearly knew what was going on in DRC when his own people were being sacrificed, yet made no stand about it. He actually at a certain point encouraged Baganda parents to register their children in UPDF. That is not the King I am interested in he should make the safety of his people number one.

There is no country that has lost people as DRC, in fact DRC makes Luwero deaths a joke. These murders were built on FRONASA which started it in Mbarara to Mawogola to Lake Katwe to West Nile to Kampala to Luwero to Kigali to Southern Sudan to DRC. The only common factor you have in all those places is Museveni and FRONASA. Dr Kiiza Besigye and Gen Mugisha Muntu will never write any thing for they cannot write about their actions. In fact that is why FDC is an urban party they cannot walk the villages for the people know what they did. Yes they can go to Wobulenzi, Timiina Naluvule Luwero and Nakasongola, but Kiiza Besigye cannot walk into Nakaseke for example, campaign and get a constituency, NO WAAAAAAAAYYY!!!!!!!! And he knows it. What I wonder is why men of great respect like Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba cannot understand that.

The reason civilians survive in Amin’s war was because UNLA and TPDF had specific instructions to make sure civilians are protected. UTC buses that were taking the soldiers to front line were comming back with civilians and putting them into community centers where they were fade. But many times those buses were traveling on roads that were under a watch of UNLA, they were always let go for the occupants were not soldiers.Yet the Dr Kiiza Besigye’s and Mugisha Muntu’s were targeting buses that were publicly known to be civilian buses, and I have already talked about Owinyi Kibul bus here. There was no single civilian bus that was bombed on Masaka road or any where that Amin’s war passed. So how can Besigye and Muntu speak today? That we blew up the population in Luwero in day light? That we were putting on UNLA uniforms in day light drive their LandRovers and we blow up people to make the Obote soldiers look bad? Ask your self why Tanzanians and UNLA never bombed the buses to blame Amin.  And yet most Ugandans would have agreed that it is Amin killing people without question.

I am there fore appealing to you to slow down and look at these issues slowly, because much of what you were fade was to the advantage of the Museveni’s. We have had a great number of Rwandese in Uganda that have murdered very many of our people, and they have done it all under a cover of Obote is a bad man, many of those Rwandese left our country and headed back to Rwanda but many also remain in our country as Dr Kiiza Besigye and Gen Mugisha Muntu. And what we need from them today, is a right to stand in front of a commission so that they tell us what they know that happened, for 3/4 of the information we have on Uganda is about what Obote and his army did and much is a lie. If you do not know what FRONASA did in Uganda, you are in no position to blame Obote his government or UNLA. I also want to indicate that because the Museveni’s knew that they lied about Obote and UNLA to get to power, because they knew how Obote had a good intentions to lead Uganda to prosperity,  but they did all the dirt on his back to be able to come to power, I believe that it was very instrumental in allowing him to have a state funeral. The Besigye’s, the Museveni’s and Mugisha Muntu’s knew that the murders were not committed by Obote.

What I fail to understand is why you the Ugandans that were fade those lies did not ask why Museveni offers a state funeral to a man he told that will be shot if he ever lands in Entebbe. That is the intelligent question Ugandans miss to ask their Museveni as he continues to use them as condoms.

Byeebyo ebyange !!!

Edward Mulindwa
Ugandan residing in Toronto

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Intermarriages:Muslim are unfair to other beliefs

February 27, 2009 at 2:09 am (Africa, CULTURE, RELIGION)
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Muslims are practising double standards, especially Katerega as a person whose extended family has both the Christian and Muslim faith. So they want to sneak on non-Muslim daughters but they don’t want us to sneak on theirs? To me this proves that Muslims believe that it is only their religion that is superior and others are inferior. I don’t fancy religious debates because neither I nor you have been to Heaven to face our true living God and talk with him in order to know which religion is acceptable in the face of God. But the point remains muslims better revisit their belief or else they have a lot to lose at stake. So they think that our faiths, we who are not of the Muslim Brotherhood are indeed Kafir? How do you expect to have peace between Jews and Arabs if both sides have people who think like you?

 

 

It is very interesting that there was one NRM cadre (RIP) who had told me long ago in around 1991 – 93 that the Intermarriage card was one of the Aces up the NRM sleeve while still in the Bush as a solution for Ugandanising the population, the other being Land. Now, the cat has been let out of the bag on the Intermarriage card by the No. 1, unless of course he was misquoted, so then the Land card is for REAL!!!! Then what is the debate all about? But just a caution, engineered and forced intermarriages as Hitler did in the WW2 in Scandinavia and most countries of western Europe is no solution for a supreme race or defusing inter-tribal differences. This is proven up to today in Europe! I shall remain a person who does not drink milk mixed with blood and enjoy my enseenene while the other will value the dish of milk mixed with blood and stare at me in disgust when he /she sees me enjoying enseenene. God loves it that way, otherwise He wouldn’t have created us different in races, cultural norms etc. It is better for me to fall in love with a Nyaru while on our studies in USA or France than to bring one purposely and plant her next door in the plot next to mine because someone is so anxious to mix up our tribes, sorry, nations in the hope of solving an artificial problem. What happened in Rwanda ? Didn’t we have many cases of Hutu marrying Tutsi and vice versa? Did that stop the massacre/genocide? So what are we talking about here? Just curious.

 

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Intermarriages:Marry my daughter as long as you’re a Muslim

February 27, 2009 at 1:46 am (Africa, CULTURE, RELIGION)
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Dear Ugandans,

 

Credit should go to Kabaka Kintu, who outlawed inter clan marriages or in house breeding, to borrow from MP Alex Onzima. He outlawed even one from marrying in his mother’s clan. Thus we have national integration in Buganda. Had Obote’s marriage with Miria Kalule was not foiled with 1966 crisis, it was the beginning of inter tribal marriages and we should encourage it. For example, l don’t mind a person my child can marry so long as s/he is a Muslim. We have much in common as Africans, than what separates us. I don’t mind my daughter marrying a Congolese so long as he is a Muslim. Some Congolese Banyamulenge, Bahema, Balendu are nearer to us culturally than some of our tribes in Uganda. It is only the colonial boundary that is separating us. The Qur’an permits us to marry only people of the Book (The Bible) but not Animists as some people portray it. Muslim men are permitted to marry Jews and Christians but Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslims. However a bi breed of religion may bring a half baked person. To be sincere with you l can not allow my daughter to bring a non Muslim suitor at my home. But she can bring any African so long as he is a Muslim. Some Ugandan Muslim parents belong to those that are after riches without considering which hands that brings them. Alhamdu Lillah l don’t belong to that category.

 

 I have attended many weddings in mosques and brides come in person and even write and sign on their registers and certificates. Visit any at Kibuli Mosque and you will see it. Some are held at Bukoto, Wandegeya and even Old Kampala. In Islam, as for burial, women attend burial, but not mixing up with men. I have attended many burials ceremonies especially of my own family and it is like that. I however know that some Muslims leave women folk at home for dodgy reasons but it is up to them to explain. The Qur’an dictates on how a woman should put on and it is no different from what St.Paul says in the Bible. Like Africa and Asia, Islam also accepts arranged marriages although l don’t support them. There is no baptism in Islam, only God orders us to give our children good names. l can call my self only Africa names like Kateregga Kimera Musaazi without Ahmed, Abbaas and Zuliarabi. Islam and Christianity came and we can not do away with them. Let’s accept them but without fanaticism. Youths can interact in schools, places of worship, social and cultural activities like sports and cinema, etc…..Some Ugandans/Africans attempt to portray themselves as Zionist Christians which they can’t become however much they try.

 

 

Intermarriages can be legislated if law makers practise what they say. I have told you how Kabaka Kintu outlawed inter clan marriages, and one marrying to his/her mother’s clan. It has worked well. Thus in Buganda there is no classism be economic, social or cultural. Baganda are either Kabaka, official, chief, clan leader or peasant. All offices other than that of Kabaka and bataka are not hereditary. One can rise from a peasant to a Katikkiro etc….If Obote had behaved well, even my self may have married in neighbouring Busoga or Bunyoro/Tooro or Ankole, or even the North especially among the Acholis, Alur or Adhola and if l were looking for a Muslim girl, then among Bombo Nubians or Madi or Aringa. But Obote messed it up and it is no longer a fashion. But this generation can take president Museveni’s advice on intermarriages and they advance it. We should remember that Nkrumah also married a Coptic Egyptian, but other Ghanaians did not follow him. Mandela has gone with a Mozambican l don’t know how many South Africans married our Ugandans, and even James Wapakhabulo is the only cerebrated Ugandan who married a Tanzanian.

 

 

If Obote had become a father of the nation as Nyerere was in Tanzania, we would have admired, imitated and copied him by marrying from other tribes especially in the north. But his love with Buganda was short lived, despite the marriage and we cursed him. l used to see Amin in papers pausing with his wives Madina and Sarah. Madiina from Mukono in Kyaggwe, who later became a personal friend, and Sarah from Masaka in Buddu. No wonder l saw many men of the day marrying Nubian girls. l don’t know whether it was for political connection like the way many Baganda men are marrying into Museveni’s tribe now. For me I decided to get my fellow Muganda Muslim but of Kooki origin since l am of Buddu origin. Her mother’s line is of Baganda immigrants to Kajara in Ankole, whose mother is a Munyankore. On my part, my mother is of Mamba clan, the mother to my father was of Ngabi clan, but the mother to my grandfather was of Nte clan, a Mugangaizi from Mubende, and the mother to my great great grand fasther is a Muhima, from Lwera valley on banks of River Katonga. Remember l am a Luo Mubiito with branches in Buganda, Bunyoro, Tooro, Busoga, Bugwere, Acholi, Lango, Alu, Adhola, Bahrel Ghazal etc….l am Ugandan enough.

 

 

Maama Miria Kalule belongs to Ngeye clan; it is the same clan where the mother to my mather belongs. She is on drip at Mulago Hospital (Not Maama Miria but my grandmother Mariam Nakakande). Please pray for her recovery despite old age of 75. forget getting any son or daughter of mine joining UPC. They hear from grand parents that Obote and UPC killed people and that is all. So other parties may try to encroach on them but not UPC.

 

l am already married and l don’t intend to add on another. However I will encourage my brothers, sisters, sons and daughters to embrace inter tribal marriages because they can save our country. Am bringing my up my children as African Muslims and there is no way they can disobey me. They know what we want as a family and what we don’t want. So they can not do that. Politically l have never indoctrinated them, but they are all NRM sympathisers and boys volunteered even to put up Museveni’s posters in our village and beyond. But among the daughters, one is a constructive critique of NRM.

 

Yes a nation of tolerance does not mean producing half baked people. One should practice a religion of his parents and to that, inter religious and denominational marriages should be discouraged. That is the position of Bishop Marthias Ssekamaanya of Ligazi Diocese. He even repeated it recently in the presence of Kabaka Mutebi, VP Bukenya and Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala. A Ugandan should be my brother and my friend where each should tolerate another’s religion but not sneaking on my daughters nor should l do the same to yours. The best is to take Bishop Mathias Ssekamaanya’s advice, don’t allow inter religious marriages, practice in house breeding as far as religions and denominations are concerned.

Ahmed Katerega Mussazi

NewVision Journalist

 

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Let Ugandans compile evidence against their leaders for ICC

February 26, 2009 at 2:38 am (Africa, POLITICS, PRESIDENCY)
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I guess Ugandans are saying that Museveni and his Tutsi Generals are the law and the Law is the same Museveni and his Tutsi Generals. For now it looks that. Anyway, on a wider aspect if anyone is not happy with ICC, let him/her be aware that there is a Review Conference of the International Criminal Court Statute due to take place sometime after July this year, 2009 to consider amendments to the treaty that founded the International Criminal Court. This can only mean the Court is going to be there and it will only get better to put those bent to impunity into the dock.. The Review Conference will only get ICC to a better form if members of the Assembly of States Parties put their contributions positively.

The NRMO or Museveni supporters who are apprehensive of the ICC should reconsider fully embracing it after all Uganda is already a member of the Assembly of States of ICC and next year Uganda shall be hosting ICC in Kampala. This was decided at the seventh session of the Assembly of States Parties in November 2008. The Assembly decided that the Review Conference of the Rome Statute shall be held in Kampala, Uganda, during the first semester of 2010. Just to add onto that, this Court is governed by the Assembly of States Parties and Uganda is one of the parties. The Assembly of States Parties is the Court’s management oversight and legislative body and it consists of one representative from each state party. Each state party has one vote and every effort has to be made to reach decisions by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, decisions are made by vote. This is how the Court manages its four organs: the Presidency, the Judicial Divisions, the Office of the Prosecutor, and the Registry.

One Ugandan called Abbey Kibirige  Semuwemba wanted to know the appeal procedures. This can be found in the Judicial Divisions of the Court. The Judicial Divisions consist of the 18 judges of the Court, organized into three divisions — the Pre-Trial Division, Trial Division and Appeals Division — which carry out the judicial functions of the Court. These Judges are elected to the Court by the Assembly of States Parties. They serve nine-year terms and are not generally eligible for re-election. All judges must be nationals of states parties to the Rome Statute, and no two judges may be nationals of the same state. They must be “persons of high moral character, impartiality and integrity who possess the qualifications required in their respective States for appointment to the highest judicial offices”

 

 The Prosecutor or any person being investigated or prosecuted may request the disqualification of a judge from “any case in which his or her impartiality might reasonably be doubted on any ground”. Any request for the disqualification of a judge from a particular case is decided by an absolute majority of the other judges. A judge may be removed from office if he or she “is found to have committed serious misconduct or a serious breach of his or her duties” or is unable to exercise his or her functions. The removal of a judge requires both a two-thirds majority of the other judges and a two-thirds majority of the states parties..

 Let us get another point clear too. ICC is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system. It is legally and functionally independent from any body including the United Nations. However, the Rome Statute grants certain powers to the United Nations Security Council under Article 13 of ICC. This Article allows the Security Council to refer to the Court situations that would not otherwise fall under the Court’s jurisdiction (as it did in relation to the situation in Darfur, which the Court could not otherwise have prosecuted as Sudan is not a state party). Article 16 of ICC allows the Security Council to require the Court to defer from investigating a case for a period of 12 months. Such a deferral may be renewed indefinitely by the Security Council. During the negotiations that led to the Rome Statute, when deciding on its jurisdiction, a large number of states argued that the Court should be allowed to exercise Universal jurisdiction. However, this proposal was defeated due in large part to opposition from the United States. A compromise was reached, allowing the Court to exercise jurisdiction only under limited circumstances:

  • where the person accused of committing a crime is a national of a state party (or where the person’s state has accepted the jurisdiction of the Court);
  • where the alleged crime was committed on the territory of a state party (or where the state on whose territory the crime was committed has accepted the jurisdiction of the Court); or
  • where a situation is referred to the Court by the UN Security Council

The Court cooperates with the UN in many different areas, including the exchange of information and logistical support. The Court reports to the UN each year on its activities, and some meetings of the Assembly of States Parties are held at UN facilities. The relationship between the Court and the UN is governed by a “Relationship Agreement between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations”.

 The Court is intended as a court of last resort, investigating and prosecuting only where national courts have failed as it has been stated clearly by Abbey. It ought to be there to deter or prevent impunity where they occur. The issue of whether President Bush or Israel President are left of the hook is a matter of politics. The law is there and it is sending a clear message to these leaders with some tangible influence being realised though slowly. Even the recently invasion of Gaza by Israel is in the process. The only biggest downfalls at the moment are its power of arresting, prosecuting and enforcing its judgement. It has no police. It relies on the member states and that is why it may not be ast to drag Bush to the Hagues or for that matter Museveni or Kony!   

 As of February 2009, 108 countries have joined the Court, including nearly all of Europe and South America, and roughly half the countries in Africa. However, ICC in its current state has got some shortfall but it is a baby and it has all the good reasons behind its formation. It should be supported and developed to offer alternative justice to those who would otherwise not get any. We already have a world court, ICJ, but it only deals with cases between states. And this is what those who are committing impunity wants to hide behind. They want to dangles States immunity before your eyes will impunity continues unabated.

But ICC is meant to crack through the veils and that is what they done like. Also remember ICJ was established in 1945 by the UN Charter and the Court began work in 1946 as the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice. The Statute of the International Justice similar to that of its predecessor, is the main constitutional document constituting and regulating the Court. But ICJ has dealt with relatively few cases only in its history, and there has clearly been an increased willingness to use the Court since the 1980s, especially among developing countries. As usual the stumbling block has been the United States.

 

In 1986 United States withdrew from compulsory jurisdiction of ICJ and so it now accepts the court’s jurisdiction only on a case-to-case basis. But the irony about this is that in 1948, following the Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals when the United States was then leading the show, the United Nations General Assembly recognised the need for a permanent international court to deal with atrocities of the kind committed during World War II and the USA supported it then. Since 1948 not a lot happen due to all sorts of thing including Cod War era.

 But in 1989. A N R Robinson, then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, proposed the creation of a permanent international court to deal with the illegal drug trade and the idea was revived. Not a lot happened until 1995 when some small group of NGOs founded a Coalition that coordinated their work to ensure the establishment of an International Criminal Court.

 

 Since then, the Coalition’s membership has increased exponentially as its original goal of establishing the ICC grew to a Coalition for the International Criminal Court that includes over 2500 organizations around the world working in partnership to strengthen international cooperation with the ICC; to ensure that the Court is fair, effective and independent; to make justice both visible and universal; and advance stronger national laws that deliver justice to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

 

 As of February 2009, 108 countries have joined the Court, including nearly all of Europe and South America, and roughly half the countries in Africa. However, these countries only account for a minority of the world’s population. A further 40 states have signed but not ratified the Rome Statute; the law of treaties obliges these states to refrain from “acts which would defeat the object and purpose” of the treaty..

 Charles Eliba

UPC Activist/Lawyer

 

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Buganda assets and negotiations

February 25, 2009 at 6:44 am (CULTURE, KINGDOMS, POLITICS)
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Attorney General made a presentation in parliament recently while answering Kampala Central MP Erias Lukwago. Our Foreign Ministry or that of Information and National Guidance or even the Parliament of Uganda, can help us. In summary, the Attorney General said that things that could be restored to Buganda without negotiations including palaces, Bulange, Tombs, Kakeeka etc… were restored in 1993 by the EBYAFFE Act after the constitutional amendment that restored kingdoms. The rest are and will be as a result of negotiations which are still going ON. He requested for a month to give full explanation. He however said that those like 9,000 sq.miles which he said is less, can be restored to Buganda Land Board as it was the case in 1962 Constitution , if a Buganda Regional Government is restored as the 1995 constitution as amended in 2005, is fully implemented.

 There is a difference between the traditional institution of kabakaship and Buganda Government. What was restored was the kabakaship as a traditional/cultural institution but not Buganda Government with a territory. The Buganda Government with a territory, a parliament to make laws, Buganda Land Board including akenda, are brought by the restoration of a regional government, you people are fighting. Even Bunyoro and Busoga who want it have been denied because the centre fears that regional government. Buganda has not been with poor negotiators but the kabakaship listened to many voices and we lost a chance of restoring our kingdom with cultural and political powers in 2005. Mulwanyammuli and his team including John Katende, Charles Peter Mayiga, Grace Ssemakule Musoke, David Kintu Wassajja, Apollo Makubuya etc… did a good job but were betrayed by the late Abu Mayanja and Sulamn Kiggundu who feared that Museveni and NRM were to get political scores. We may never get what we had got in 2005 thanks to hardliners like Muliika who only talk but even don’t fight. If time for fighting is over, then let’s negotiate. Our team should also include leaders of Buganda caucus in parliament and district leaders because those are the people with a popular mandate.

Under the 1995 constitution, customary tenants (including bibanja holders on akenda), leasholders are entitled for a freehold tittle. Unoccupied land was put under local governments. But districts under a regional arrangement can have a regional board. For the case of Buganda, Busoga, Bunyoro, Acholi and Lango, their districts are deemed to have accepted to cooperate under a regional government.

The monarchy is both cultural (ssaabataka) and political (kabaka). The cultural role is through clan leaders called abataka. That was what was restored in 1993 and which is verse 246 dealing with traditional and cultural leaders. But the political monarchy is restored by a regional government which, you have refused. Any body dreaming of having a king in the republic of Uganda with executive political powers the last being Kabaka Daniel Mwanga ll, should forget. Under 1955 Agreement Sir Edward Muteesa was titular head and that is what was entrenched in 1962 constituion.

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AKENDA OR KAKAAGA?: IS IT 9,000 or 6,701 Sq Miles?

February 24, 2009 at 6:43 pm (History, POLITICS)
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 1 The areas of Buganda as spelt out in the 1900 agreement was assumed to be 19,600 Sq Miles.  This estimate was made by the UK War Office, intelligence section.  Article 15 of the agreement states:  “Assuming the area of Buganda amounts to 19,600 square miles, it shall be divided in the following proportion: Forests 1,500, Her Majesty’s Government under the control of Uganda administration 9,000, His Highness the Kabaka of Uganda 350, Namasole(the King’s mother) 16, mother of Mwanga 10, Princes(Abalangira) 32, Ab’amasaza(County Chiefs) 160, Official estates attached to the posts of the Ab’amasaza 160, the regents each got 32 totaling 96, Mbogo family 24, Kamuswaga of Koki 20, one thousand chiefs 8,000, Christian churches 92, Government stations i.e Kampala, Entebbe, Masaka, Mubende and Njeru, 50.”

2 The same article 15 of the same agreement further notes…and this is the important point:  “After a careful survey has been made, if the total found to be less than 19,600sqm then that portion (9000) of the country to be vested in Her Majesty’s Government shall be reduced in the extent by the deficiency found to exist in the estimated area,”

 

3 The survey was started two years after the 1900 agreement, the year of handover of Buganda from the War Office to the Colonial Office.  The survey was interrupted by WWI and finally completed in 1937.  The surveyors, Sergeant Major.E.Vaughn, assisted by WV. Morris found out that, the actual are of Buganda was 17,301 sq miles. 

 

4 Therefore the actual area of Buganda fell short of the estimate by 2,229 Sq Miles (19,600-17,301=2,229).  According to that same 1900 agreement, that shortfall was to be deducted from the 9,000 sq Miles, the famous

 

 

5  in addition to the above facts on “Akenda”, it may not be even as much as “Akakaaga” (6,701 Sq Miles) but rather, “Nkumi nnya” (4, 227 Sq Miles).

 

6  The 17,301 Sq Miles included swamps.  When they were deducted, the land area left is 16,138 Sq Miles.

 

7  Therefore the shortfall to be deducted from the 9,000 according to Article 15 of the 1900 agreement became 3,462 Sq Miles (19,600-16,138).  The Akenda then became 5,538 Sq Miles .

 

8  When Buyaga and Bugangaizi reverted to Bunyoro after the 1964 referendum, Crown Land in Buganda was further reduced by 667 Sq miles, therefore leaving 4,871 Sq Miles.

 

9  When Ranching Schemes were established in Buruli, Masaka and Singo, crown land was further slashed by 644 Square miles, therefore reducing “Akenda” further to 4,227 Sq Miles.

 

 

L/Cpl (rtd) Otto Patrick

 

(link to the agreement: http://www.buganda.com/buga1900.htm)

 

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Buganda had no negotiators during colonialism

February 19, 2009 at 1:07 am (History)
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1/8  The language that was used by the colonial administrators in relation to the Kabaka of Buganda, in this case Kabaka Mutesa II was “interview”, “summon the Kabaka and educate him”, “bring the Kabaka to his senses”, “acceptance of decisions of future co-operation”, “if he refuses to comply”, “in the interview I shall require the Kabaka”….etc.  All those are quotations from a memorandum by the British Colonial secretary, Oliver Lyttelton around the 1953 crisis which as you very well know culminated in the Kabaka being shut out of Buganda.

 

2/8  Alternatively, let us  look back at some years earlier at the situation of Kabaka Mutesa II’s grandfather, Kabaka Mwanga, following the events of 24 Jan 1892 when a Catholic shot and killed a Protestant at Mengo, all in self-defence.  Kabaka Mwanga (himself a Catholic) tried the culprit and duly acquitted him.  Capt. Lugard demanded that the catholic be handed to him for trial and execution.  Kabaka Mwanga rightly deemed that to be an infringement on his authority and he refused Lugard’s orders.  Lugard immediately issued rifles to Protestants, deployed his Sudanese troops with two Maxim guns and by the time the “negotiation” dust settled, the Kabaka with his Catholic followers were out of Mengo, on to Bulingugwe Island at the mouth of Murchison Bay, where they were flushed out, running on to Bukoba.  Buganda negotiators!  What negotiation was that?  Of course you know how Kabaka Muwanga’s reign eventually ended in 1897.  Negotiation?

 

3/8: Bottom line, there was no question of negotiation!  For anyone to think otherwise is to be deluded, and is to harbour false loyalty to Buganda; and an impression of non-existent glory.  That cannot help us, you and I, to grow up.

 

4/8  Am also not aware that Buganda affairs were addressed in the British Foreign Office and not Colonial Office , particularly because it was not the case.  The fact is that, the affairs of Buganda were formally passed on to the Colonial Office in 1902, and not because they were up to that time in the hands of the Foreign Office, but because they were in the hands of the War Office: Buganda was still being ‘pacified’. 

 

5/8  The 1900 agreement that set the terms of the relations between Buganda and Britain clearly states under Article 3, that, Buganda “shall rank as a Province of equal rank with any other provices into which the Protectorate shall be divided” In other words, Buganda was a province (just like Karamoja) and not a country to be related with through the Foreign Office.

 

6/8  In fact the 1953 crisis was precipitated by Kabaka Mutesa’s (deluded) insistence that Buganda should be moved from the colonial office to the Foreign office, and immediately granted independence.  If it was  “for quite a long time” as you are saying under the Foreign Office, then what was the Kabaka demanding for?

 

7/8  I am sure Buganda historians have heard about the letter that Kabaka Mutesa wrote on 6th August 1953 in reaction to the Colonial Secretary’s mention of the possibility of an East Africa Federation.  In that letter, Kabaka Mutesa made three demands, namely, that, there would never be a federation of East African territories, second, that Buganda affairs be transferred to the Foreign Office from the Colonial Office, third, that Buganda be given independence.  That was a violation of Article 6 of the 1900 “agreement” (really 1900 Undertaking by Buganda to be good boys!)….see the ‘agreement’ at this link: http://www.buganda.com/buga1900..htm.

 

8/8  Yes, there was a difference between the British Foreign Office and Colonial Office.  I am sure Buganda historians also know it now particularly as it relates to Buganda’s history.  The difference between those two offices is what caused the 1953 crisis, when Kabaka Mutesa wanted to negotiate, and the other party wanted to interview, give orders, and if necessary, fight it out.  Very clearly, Buganda negotiators if there were any, were hapless, hopeless and jobless.

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Uganda peasants are not Tax payers?

February 19, 2009 at 12:50 am (POLITICS)
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Which tax payer?  Who is their political class accountable to?  Once again, I will tell people that  the population of Uganda has no solid stake in the management of public affairs because it lives outside that domain: 85% peasants, dying at 45 years of age, living in a non-monetary sector, in the rural countryside, untaxable because they do not produce any surplus to be taxed, about 50% of them are illiterate, 50.2% 15 years and below, wearing nappies, the highest in the world….that is not the kind of population that takes its government to task.  Never!

 

We need to start thinking less traditionally about our socio-political reality.  The whole notion of ‘tax-payer’ is completely out of place in Uganda.

 

That aid is unearned income and you know what unearned income does.  If government was depending on money deducted from 20 million Ugandans wage earners, it would think twice before squandering it.  It would be someone’s sweat and they would demand for accountability.  But who in Uganda identifies with ‘donor’ aid as his money? If we do not come to grips with the relationship between paying tax and governmental accountability, then we shall keep fooling ourselves for ever with democracy for ever.

 

That is why I always insist that we need to proletarianise the population-urgently-create wage earners, get rid of the passive peasant class.  A population that is largely wage-earners or proletariat is a population that you do not fool around with.  The impunity of our political class now is a logical consequence of the fact that the country is largely peasant.  That is why some of them are interested in preserving that passive class that will vote for them just because of a piece of soap.  A wage labourer will tell you not to insult him by bribing him with money he contributed as PAYE or income tax. 
What tax do the peasants pay?  

 

“They … removed UPC I government because they wanted to scuttle public spending”

 

The Common Mans Charter may have talked about increase in ‘public spending’, but for those that engineered the deposition of AM Obote, ‘public spending’ per se was not the primary problem.  The real problem was the source of finances for such expenditure: expropriation/nationalisation of foreign owned enterprises.  That was the primary contradiction.

 

We know that Uganda was broke right from the cradle: independence was on 9 oct 1962, 24 hours later, on 10 oct 1962 there was no money to finance the return of the colonial administrators to London.  The first structural adjustment facility was arranged there and then (what ever structures there were to adjust on day one).  If AM Obote had asked for grants to finance his ‘public spending’ (whatever that means) instead of expropriating foreign multinationals, he would probably have lived longer and may be succumbed to internal contradictions. 

 

Remember also there was the contradiction between the two global powers.  AM Obote played into that with the adventure to the left, to defend a non-existent proletariat, as though that was the country’s primary challenge….remember the Blue Belt and Red Corridor?

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Comparison between 1953 and 1966 Buganda crisis

February 15, 2009 at 12:22 pm (History, KINGDOMS)
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1/7 If you chanced to access a Top Secret memorandum C. (53) 324 written by the British Secretary of State (Minister) for the colonies to the British cabinet on 18th November 1953, you would learn that HM EF Mutesa II had very few options when he was summoned by Andrew Cohen for interview.

2/7 The governor (Cohen) already had instructions to ensure that Kabaka Mutesa complied with instructions to leve the country.  The memorandum stated that, “If the Kabaka refuses to come to this country to see me then I propose to authorize the Governor to put into operation the plan described in paragraph 6 above.”

3/7 Para 6 of the memorandum was a detailed military plan (referred to by Secretary Lyttleton as “extreme action”) that was supposed to be executed from the day of the Kabaka Mutesa/Governor Cohen meeting (30.11.1953) to 8.12.1953.

4/7 Note that on 16th November 1953 4th Battalion K.A.R started moving back to Jinja from Kenya ready for military operations in Buganda “in support of the police” to carry out what the memorandum called a coup d’etat had the Kabaka tried to

“…embark on an open trial of strength with Her Majesty’s Government.”

5/7 That “Top Secret” memorandum in part states that, “General Erskine has agreed to make available one battalion of the King’s African Rifles which is now moving into Uganda ostensibly as a routine transfer. He has also agreed to have a reserve battalion on standing by at three days’ notice but if this or any further reinforcements were called upon he might have to ask additional assistance from the United Kingdom.”

6/7 So then, Kabaka Mutesa was alot wiser than you can possibly imagine, by avoiding any childish action of the type that you call “Terrance Hill”.  Had he tried, he would probably have been subjected to an emotional experience that would have denied him the chance to see 1966, itself a continuation of the 1953 intransigence.

7/7 The difference between 1966 and 1953 was, that Governor Cohen had alot more manoeuvrability than AM Obote, otherwise the basic plan was the same.  Cohen had plan A and B.  Plan A worked and that saved the day.  AM had only Plan A, namely, Cohen’s Plan B, a Zero sum game.  I see UPC supporters somewhere (with the usual opportunism) saying that Cohen was outrageous.  I think what they(upc supporters) really mean is that, Cohen should have put into play Plan B (the one to that should have been executed by General Erskine…the extreme action…it would have saved the UPC the 1966 entanglements…that is what Mr Ochieno probably means).

L/Cpl (rtd) Otto Patrick

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Mutesa 1 displays patience & wisdom at his 1953 deportation order

February 15, 2009 at 12:15 pm (History, KINGDOMS)
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On 30th Nov 1953, when the Governor Sir Andrew Cohen surmoned Sir Edward Muteesa to Government House in Entebbe, after Sir Edward refused to budge from the numerous threats made towards him, Sir Cohen handed him the deportation order. Without looking at it, Sir Edward passed it over to his Katikkiro, Owek. Paulo Kavuma, and kept on staring at the Governor. He (Sir Edward) just calmly asked them, “Does this mean that I am under arrest?” The Governor hissed out, “Yes”. Two white constables then walked in to take away the Kabaka. He then allowed them to walk him out of the office. Upon reaching outside, his deputy ADC, Robert Ntambi (RIP) being concerned over the safety of his Kabaka asked him, “Ssebo, nkube?”, meaning “Sir, should I shoot the bastards?” Sir Edward being the Royal and British trained military personnel he was, replied calmly with wisdom and guidance, “Tokuba, baleke” meaning “Just let the poor souls be!”

Please note that Sir Edward himself was armed with a revolver which he later handed over to the accompanying British officer in the aeroplane when they were already airborne, and could have done a Terrance Hill to those two poor souls, but he couldn’t kill an innocent man. And lo, some Baganda bashers and haters spew lies on this forum of how Sir Edward killed innocent Banyoro in Karuguza, my foot!

Actually, Sir Edward was not only a British trained military officer, but was an instructor himself in the Grenadier Guards. As one might guess, British Army is not some taka taka African army where some officer might be made an instructor simply because of some top connections. Sir Edward was worthy his pips and medals and so, had to make the right decision at the right time after weighing a situation that deserves a split of a second action.

Sir Edward though still a minor, had the advantage of receiving lectures from his father; the late Sir Daudi Ccwa II. It was not just by chance that he was made the 35th Kabaka of Buganda. The British had tried to do the same to Sir Daudi Ccwa II, himself also a trained British Officer, but he was much wiser for them also. The  Cohen Plan “B” was to be executed in the beginning of November 1939 (Note the coincidence of the month of November) by the then Governor, Sir Philip Mitchell, but due to the failing health of the Ssabasajja, the British thought it unwise in Military Strategic terms, to appear to be antagonising a sickly man (equivalent of shooting a defenceless man in the back). They instead banked on ‘terrorizing’ the next of kin. Unfortunately for them, the next of kin was even more tough a nut to crack than Sir Daudi Ccwa II.
When I tell some Ugandans that Sir Edward’s resistance to the British gave a booster shot in the arm of the Mau Mau, they cant  comprehend that history. You see, sometimes we just cannot write the whole thing down here on the forum for theUgandans  to understand everything.
Robert Nviri
Respectable Buganda Nationalist

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Who started ‘Panda Gari’ and ‘Akandoya’ in Uganda

February 13, 2009 at 5:39 pm (CULTURE, History, KINGDOMS)
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1. Panda Gari was not started by Museveni or when Museveni was in Obote II government. Panda Gari was started in around March 1981 when Museveni and his 27 chaps had already gone to the Bush. This I know very well, and I have already posted it on this forum before.

In a nut shell, Panda Gari was a brain child of some security UPC zealots who failed to comprehend the tactics of guerilla warfare. They adopted the late Gen. Pinochet of Chile style of fighting guerillas and armed opposition. So, when the UFM attacked the Lubiri barracks sometime around March 1981, positioning their Mortars on Lubaga Hill near the Cathedral, in both humiliation mixed with shame and anger, UPC military wing decided to round up inhabitants of Lubaga and Makindye divisions with the hope of antagonising them into submission or scaring away the ‘bandits’, as Obote and company used to refer to the guerillas. Later on, this Panda Gari (translated from the Swahili – Board the vehicle – you can see how difficult Swahili can be acceptable as a National Language in Uganda with such history of terror; we panda gari, towa saa, ka chini, lala chini, piga lisasi etc.) operations spread to other areas in Buganda and later western Uganda (after learning of Museveni’s involvement in guerilla warfare) with the infamous so-called Computer Men holding Computer print lists.  it is a dreaded history that shall take long to be forgotten in Uganda, south of the Karuma.

The bus, Mpaawo Atalikaaba, Reg. number 01LA06 was brought into operation shortly after the removal of Bianisa in May 1980, but during that time it was used to ferry UNLA soldiers (mainly of Acholi and Langi origin – a fact that brought about a Radio Katwe terminology for the LA markings in the number plate to be substituted for Langi-Acholi; if you were in Kampala during that time as you claim, then you must have heard this Radio Katwe news) for deployment in the evenings  in some selected few areas of Kampala and its environs. The first round up of human beings that this bus did was that of rowdy soldiers who had refused to stay in barracks’. This is when the UNLF govt under Muwanga and Museveni tried to show some seriousness with rowdy soldiers in Kampala, but as the election time drew closer, things went haywire and this exercise was abandoned. I keep wondering whysome Acholis keep mum on this fact, or it is also an Okello-Apello concoction?
2. Obote did not build Mulago hospital, like you have time and again posted those lies on this forum. Mulago hospital was built by the British Protectorate government before they relinquished power in 1962. Most of the monies that were used to build the hospital were British Taxpayers money. Mulago hospital was officially opened on 16th October, 1962 (one week after independence day) by the Duchess of Kent. Unless if you want to state that Obote is a custodian of the Aldina magic lamp such that he built Mulago hospital in a record period of one week.
3. Obote’s UPC started playing dirty already in 1964 when it started buying of opposition MPs (Bataringaya was a DP from Ankole and leader of opposition). In fact KY contemplated joining hands with DP to fight UPC but due to the foolish politics of religion by some Baganda of that time, this proved futile until DP was dilapidated of nearly all its members in parliament one by one; by way of crossing over to UPC. 

Bw’ova ku byange ng’ogenda ku wangatto!

Nviiri

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Mayiko Backs the Lango Development Plan

February 11, 2009 at 10:18 pm (History, KINGDOMS, POLITICS)
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Well Hearing all this; the general public does not really know what was going on in Obote’s rigid regime as in, who was planning what and who really had the powers to cook killing ideas with or without Obote’s knowledge. Obote himself was seen by some tribes mates as a traitor for marrying a muganda, yet Obote himself claimed that he couldn’t have a master plan to exterminate his brothers in law the Baganda.

But we all know that Milton was too drunk with either power or whiskey to reprimand any one in his administration. Knowingly or unknowingly for him he was exactly where he wanted to be as in ” The only president fit to rule Uganda” and nothing moved him further in truth to act unless he was threatened to be ousted from power. I believe to this day wherever he is, the combination of these two alphanumerics “M7″ haunt him a lot, but not skulls from (Buganda), Luwero, Ssemuto, Kapeka nor Masuliita. For he, Obote and M7 both share the skull closet and one of them will claim the biggest acre in high shame or revolutionary empty airs, when we reach in heaven on that judgment day, its not over yet.

However in many operations like panda gari in many villages in Buganda, the hard experience was, Head of families & bigger sons were killed with no clear reason, Govt soldiers would come in force the doors open kill and walk out majestically without really taking much, police would come in the next day, and no particular investigations would take place, as in motive, it was as if police already knew what was going on, so they never asked much, we never read many of these incidents in major newspapers and we would wait for another day for something like that to happen again. My father was left for dead in one of these incidents, I was in boarding school so I was not around to see what really happened, but we had a step mum who was a practicng nurse working for Mulago Hopital and my father was shot and hummered with small hoes by Obote soldiers, He was rushed to mulago hospital wrapped in blankets to keep him warm, the joke was all my brothers and sisters got new blankets after my dad came home because they were all used to save his life. I do not think these murderes followed up on their victims after that to find out whether they really died, for they did not come back again, some people never died but survived as the example of my father. It was a public secret that this was a state sponsored operation.

The village is Bukoto next to Kamwokya or Ntinda depending on where you are coming from, ask for the family of the late Ssemwogere, one of his sons is in Police “Gerald Ssemwogere Ssekiwunga) now and you will know about other families who died or survived, if your research yields good results, I’ll be able to read my fathers name in your communication and we shall filter more possibilities of this state sponsored operations.

I pray that some one better tells us what was going on with these irresponsible state sponsored killings as so many orphans that I personally know came to be so, in operations like in this way long before AIDS clocked in to rob us with our loved ones though its also said that Obote kept quiet about AIDS since it was mainly in Buganda, Masaka Kyotera for its reported that the first cases of AIDS showed up during his era and many NRA soldiers who camped thru over there during the Luwero/M7 war are either dead of AIDS by now or renewing blood from time to time in Germany, ask around. Either way Obote was bad news for Buganda though M7 is now borrowing some tricks from him to destabilise Buganda. I still highly predict that M7 will not succeed to finish off Buganda, I hear he authorized the delay of the Land bill and his file is on Obama’s desk, it comes in next after the Americans have got their stimulus package.

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Kadameri questions the Lango Development Plan

February 11, 2009 at 5:18 pm (History, POLITICS)
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I have done my research in the course of writing a book and I failed to find any evidence of the authenticity of the so-called Lango Development Master Plan. Even without trying to be an Obote apologist, I think the so-called LDMP was most likely a poorly done concoction by Amin’s cohorts in trying to justify what he was trying to do against Obote’s kinsmen in the aftermath of the 1971 coup.

You will note that within months of taking power he had removed the only Lango member of his cabinet Yekosafati Engur, whose only qualification for the job was that he was not buddy buddy with his tribesmate Obote.  He was replaced by Henry Kyemba who later went on to become minister of health till 1977.

The only high ranking Langi to survive Amin were Kassim Obura Abak (Police, because he was Muslim), Lt Col Abednego Orech Okot (still alive who was director of the army band and of course Amin loved brass band people though he killed Ahmed Oduka but tolerated Orech Okot and Venansio Okello of police. Okello was Acholi.) I have never found out why Amin’s security tolerated Captain Smith Opon Acak until 1977 when he fled or Captain Egwar from Akokoro who stayed on until Amin was overthrown , joined the UNLA and was shot dead by fellow UNLA soldiers in Mbuya barracks in 1980.

But when anybody thinking Amin was after the Langi, to somewhat appear less brutal to Acholi was mistaken as you all know.

I have no evidence that the letter by the Acholi UNLA officer mentioned in New Africa magazine was genuine. However what I do know, with evidence of graying letters I manage to get in the course of my research, was that there was another type of letter that was circulating and being sent to only Acholi officers from around March 1985. Some people claimed the letter, written on duplicating paper, was by NASA trying to scare off some Acholi officers suspected to be working with Bazilio Okello to destabilise President Obote while others suspected it was from a third party wishing to sow discord among UNLA officers with the aim of making things difficult for government.

The copies I got in the course of my research were mailed to Lt. Richard Ochieng and Lt John Okot, both of UNLA Magamaga Ordnance Base Depot, Jinja. It read:   “Dear Lt Okot,  It has come to our knowledge that you are involved in a distardly machination to try and overthrow the government of Uganda through unconstitutional means. We take this opportunity to warn you to desist from such an act, the consequences of which will be too ghastly to contemplate. Signed. Concerned Ugandans.”

As I  said, it was never clear who were behind this kind of communication but bearing in mind the poisoned atmosphere in the then national army, it could have been from anywhere.


This to help some of us who may not have known about such issues.

Cheers

Billie Kadameri

Journalist based in France

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Letter to Col Samson Mande

February 10, 2009 at 7:48 am (History, POLITICS)
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Col Mande

I have met you on a number of occassions but I have never asked you this question which bothers me everyday.You have narreted to us how bad M7 is and how he killed your Brother. But in 1987, NRA soldiers murdered UFM fighters in cold blood.

Many were picked from Mubende Barracks and taken to Lubiri, Kireka and other barracks from where they were tortured later on murdered.You Mande, Besigye, Muntu and others knew when these murders were being committed and all you did was to keep quiet.

UFM soldiers who were serving in Northern Uganda were locked up in a semi-trailer and suffocated. UFM/A Officers who were living in Bugoloobi flats were blind folded, tied three-piece( Kandoya) and then shot at a close range. One of theNRA soldiers who participated in these murders which took place in Bugoloobi is Jimmy Ateesa who you live with in Sweden.

Surely, why did you allow this to take place? Why did you only dessert M7 after he had started killing your relatives.Mande, You watched as Banyarwandas like Kagame, Rwigyema and Kaka were killing Baganda officers who had served in UFM/A. You even gave Paul Kagame a petty name ( Pilaato) because of his brutality against UFM soldiers has he hit them on the head with a short hoe at DMI.

I feel bad about what NRA did to Dr Andrew Kayiira and other UFM soldiers who were murdered for simply being Baganda.

You,Col Mande ,captured Gulu town during the liberation of Uganda. UFM/A captured Jinja, Mbale, and proceeded to Soroti via Kabera Maido. They joined Mande and supported him to flush out the UNLA in Gulu and when the guns went silent, your brigade(Col Mande’s brigade) turned against UFM/A and started shooting them as if they were not humans.

We need something new. Something different. We need the Obama of our own. What makes M7, Besigye, Muntu and company think that we can’t do without them.

We need a new charismatic person. We want Ogenga Latigo,  Reagan Okumu, Betty Nambooze, Erias Lukwago and many others to come out and contest for the presidence.

Besigye, Muntu, M7, UPC etc must stand trial for murder.May the souls fo the UFM/A soldiers who were murdered by NRM/A rest in eternal peace.

RIP Andrew Kayiira.

Buhanga Herbert

Former UFM Soldier

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Letter of an Acholi UNLA Officer,1984

February 10, 2009 at 7:14 am (History, KINGDOMS, POLITICS)
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LETTER OF AN ACHOLI UNLA OFFICER: AFRICA NOW MAGAZINE, AUGUST 1984
The situation in Uganda

I am an Acholi army officer situated at one of the barracks around Kampala . I have, been forced to write this letter because of the numerous Ugandans of the’ Baganda ethnic group who are being killed by us soldiers on orders from our commanders.  These unfortunate and innocent people (young and old, men and women, and even babies) are being killed by us every day at military barracks, in their homes, villages and streets in Buganda .

Instructions to kill are passed on to us by Acholi and Lango officers, and a few trusted Itesots, in the Luo language so that other Bantu soldiers may not know the idea behind the killings. We are ordered to kill Baganda of all ages so that this province with 4 million will be depopulated before the next general elections. By reducing the Baganda to a minority group, it will enable us northerners to rule Uganda without any problems from the Baganda.

Recently, we were sent to the Luwero area with instruc­tions to kill everybody and destroy all the homes, cattle etc.

Thousands of people of all ages were killed, houses bombed, women and girls raped and a lot of property looted. A good number of the soldiers, particularly the Acholis, did this against their will for they see no reason for killing innocent people. The majority of us Acholis now wish to leave the army but are afraid of the consequences which will be brutal.  We are told that after successfully depopulating Luwero and Mpigi Districts (which is currently being done) the next area will be Mukono and then Masaka. All this must be completed in 1985.

The purpose of this letter is to draw the attention of the world to the thousands of people who have been killed in government institutions, in villages, etc. and to the fate of innocent Baganda awaiting death. In fact more people have been killed in Buganda during the last two years than in eight years of Amin. History will show this.

I wish to end by appealing to all Uganda Army soldiers, especially the Acholis, to disobey the killing orders and save the lives of the Baganda – for humanity’s, sake and for the sake of our tribe’s future.

(Worried Acholi Soldier – Kampala, Uganda)

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Comparing Museveni,Besigye and Muntu

February 9, 2009 at 8:17 am (POLITICS, PRESIDENCY)
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I am talking to you as a Ugandan a human rights activist and environmental protection activist and by the way i am also a prize winner of the 2006 EUROPE HUMAN RIGHTS HEROES AWARD.In addition i happen to have been a member of FRONASA, a founder member of the NRA/NRM, a founder member of the Reform Agenda and a founder member of the FDC and an ordinary member of the FDC Sweden branch, just in case you may need to know me more.
I happen to have worked very closely with Museveni, Besigye and Mugisha Muntu in bad and good times and i have some good understanding of the three outstanding figures in this discussion.The three have the following in common: They are articulate men of high calibre vision and very revolutionary. The differences are :
General Yoweri Museveni is obsessed with power (military,economic and political power) , does never accept to be any other number except number one. When it comes to acquiring power he will do anything possible including riding on the devil toget it. Museveni believes in Single Party Rule and he belives his party should have him as the ruler and the only guide since he believes no one else has a vision to lead ” Uganda and Africa”
He can drop or change allies, he can shift from one ideology and from principle  to another any time it serves him. He does not miss an opportunity that makes him achieve what he wants no matter what the long term effects or repercussions may be.
Museveni does all this struggle for rather personal than national gains : a big name as the most famous African human being and one of the richest (material gains). This is more reason he concentrates more on regional and puts East Africa and African issues in general a pririty above Ugandan issues. For him Uganda is like his launhing pad into his dream of becomming the better Kwame Nkrumah.
He believes in centralisation of power(personal power) and that money will help him to control people for many generations through a line of heritage of his own choice as opposed to building institutions with long term and democratic succession strategies.
Besigye and Mugisha Muntu have always dreamed of a rich and prosperous Ugandan community governed by the people through democratic institutions as opposed to politics of patronage and centralised political , military and economic power owned by an individual or a clique. A Ugandan community where tribal, racial,religious and class discrimination is minimised to minute levels if not totaly eradicated. They are military men not as of choice but by circumstances and they believe in civil power.
Besigye and Muntu have just a slight difference, Besigye is a little more courageous and makes quick decisions while Muntu kind of takes his time to make a lot of more analysing and compromise. I am very happy to see them in one political party and mutualy supporting each other. The two have all the values a modern leadership needs to have. Thats is why Museveni will no longer sleep for he knows the abilities and capacity these two have. That is more reason he may wish to destroy the FDC physicaly and legaly(false charges, court raids, killing and intimidation of supportersetc) rather than politicaly and ideologicaly or intellectualy. Try to arrange a debate between them and Museveni on Uganda issues Museveni will always dissappear in thin grass only to appear later through the black mamba element.
When one talks about the political reforms it is Besigye and us who put that initiative forward and we still believe in that. Yoweri thinks he is to militarily powerful to see reason why we need reforms and reconciliation. You have not to spend time telling us about it for it is a crucial undertaking we and the entire nation is waitting in order to put the past in history and move forward. So i think Ugandns need to do more talking to your dear leader to help him understand and internalise the importance of reconciliation and reform. These two ideas are more important than the so called amnesty.
And i wish to begg some Ugandans to stop insulting me by asking me to ask for amnesty and i wish to assure you that perhaps it will be my dead body that will ask for amnesty not the living grand son of Karobwa-Mande. Those criminals , cowards and those mentaly enslaved people or those under torture and blackmail can do that but not me.They have killed my people , the people of Uganda, Rwanda, DRC and Sudan the list is not less than five million people whose blood stains that cherished ruler of yours who if he does not ask for amnesty we shall deliver to justice in a question of time.
Lastly i dont see science in some people’s advice that it is safer for me to communicate to a newVision journalist,Katerega Ahmed, directlly for that is when he will get my IP and everything.But let me inform Ugandan s that i am a public person , i have nothing to hide or fear and i am protected by  UN and by Sweden which is also a power in technology. Who ever wishes to talk to me or see me he/she is free so long as he/she does not fear to be eaten by your black mambas. My number is 0046739048412 and my e mail is clear.
REGARDS TO ALL
Samson Mande

Former UPDF/FRONASA officer

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18 reasons why Obote 1 had to go-Idil Amin

February 8, 2009 at 4:30 pm (Uncategorized)
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Fellow Ugandans,
As the days roll by, we tend to forget certain things, trust Ugandans, except for Baganda who had their eyes poked into by the Colonialists and Obote, a thing that opened up their minds. Here below are the 18 reasons that led to the military Coup d’etat on that Monday of 25th January 1971.

Ensonga 18 amagye g’Amin ze gaawa ekyagamaamuzaako gavumenti y’Obote.

  1. Okusibira abantu obwerere mu makomera awatali musango gwonna gubavunaanibwa (Detention without trial)
  2. Okwongezaayo amateeka g’ebiseera eby’akatabanguko entakera nga tewali n’omu amanyi ddi lwegalijjibwawo (State of Emergency)
  3. Abantu okujjibwako eddembe ly’okwogera ebibaluma (Denial of freedom of speech)
  4. Okutta abantu okuyiteredde mu ngeri y’obwakkondo (Uncontained thuggery)
  5. Okuleetawo oluwalo abantu bagendenga bakole akasanvu nga bava mu maka gaabwe okumala ekiseera kya myaka ebiri (Forced labour in the name of socialism)
  6. Okulya enguzi naddala mu wofeesi z’abanene mu gavumenti nga wesanga baminista abamu balina oluseregende lw’emmotoka ne bbaasi (Corruption)
  7. Ababadde mu buyinza okulemwa okussaawo okulonda mu bbanga ery’emyaka omunaana okuva mu 1963. Kisaana kitegeerekeke nti okulonda okwali kutereddwawo kwali kukolebwa abo abali mu kibiina kya UPC era nga abanene baali babutikidde abavuganyi ababulijjo olw’ensimbi ennyingi zebaayiwayiwa nga bagenda bagulirira n’okutiisatiisa abalonzi. (Lack of free & fair elections, transparency during campaigns and intimidation of the electorate)
  8. Eby’enfuna ebyali byonoonese (Economic decline)
  9. Emisolo egirinnya buli lukedde ate nga abanene mu gavumenti basobola okugyepena (Unjustified increase in taxation and unfair taxes of the common person while top government officials were on record of evading the same)
  10. Emiwendo gy’ebirime egigenda gikubibwa ebigwo ssonga egy’ebintu ebikozesebwa omuntu owa bulijjo gigenda girinnya. (Decline of prices for agricultural produce, the basic source of income for the local person, despite rising prices of essential commodities)
  11. Okutwawukanya ne bamuliraanwa baffe ab’omu East Africa (Brooding enmity among the East African region countries)
  12. Okussaawo emitindo gy’abantu ab’enjawulo nga mitegeke (Pre-destined classification of society)
  13. Obutatuula lw’olukiiko olukola ku by’okwerinda mu ggwanga ekyaviirako abamagye obutafuna byetaago byabwe. (Lack of meetings by the Military Council to provide basic needs for the Armed Forces)
  14. Wofeesi ya baminista yali efuuse ttendekero lya magye ate nga abatendekebwa bava mu kitundu kimu eky’eggwanga – Akokoro, Lango. (Turning the Cabinet Office into a training ground for purposively selected officers from only one region – Lango, to create the Special Force and General Service Unit – GSU)
  15. Entegeka kasiggu eyakolebwa mu 1967 ey’okukuza Lango yokka nga mu kino amakolero, eby’obufuzi, amagye bikulirwa abantu abava mu Lango bokka. (Marshall plan drawn up in 1967 to develop Lango area at the expense of other regions, whereby all leadership would be in the hands of only Langis)
  16. Obote ne munne Akena Adoko okugezaako okutema mu magye g’eggwanga ne Uganda yonna awamu. (Creation of divisions within the army and Uganda as a whole)
  17. Okugulirira bofiisa ba magye abamu okulwanyisa bannabwe okusobola okuleetawo obukuubagano mu magye. Kino kyali kyakuviirako okussa amagye ga Obote (Special Force ne GSU) mu mitambo gy’eggwanga. (Artificial creation of antagonism within the Armed Forces to justify the enventual usurption of powers by Obotes personal armies – Special Force and GSU)
  18. Okumaamulako gavumenti y’Obote kyali kutangira okuyiwa kw’omusaayi okwalibadde kuteewalibwa mu maaso gyebujja olw’ensonga ezimenyeddwa waggulu. (It was circumstantial and inevitable to make a Coup d’etat against Obote’s government in order to avert possible bloodshed in the country as a result of not addressing the above mentioned issues).
Anyone having ideas of becoming the next president of Uganda, please learn these 18 points by heart so that you don’t fall into the same trap, leading to your being kicked in the butt!!!
Nviiri

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The Lango Development Plan

February 8, 2009 at 4:21 pm (Uncategorized)
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On 04th March 1971, the president of Uganda, General Idi Amin Dada, authorised the release for public consumption, a once upon a time Top Secret document meant for ex-president Apollo Milton Obote and the UPC top elites from Lango, to be read on Radio Uganda. The document which was authored by a one Okello-Apello, claiming to be airing the views of the Langi elders, was one of the Top Secret documents that had been confiscated by the Army after the 25th January 1971 military coup d’etat. Here below is the document in detail.

Your Excellency, Dr. A.M. Obote,

Thank the heavens! We wish you the best of luck, and long live our dear son. Lead the people of Uganda with dignity and at the same time as per the norms of the Langi culture. We have taken it upon ourselves to study the different regions and peoples of Uganda with the aim of finding out what the different tribes think and do. We have also got feedback from fellow Langi who work in different regions of Uganda but have now returned back to Lira, on how ready they are to give you advice on how best you can rule Uganda. In its entirety, here below is our advice:

First of all, the Langi were mistreated by the British colonialists and, after the departure of the British after attaining independence, all the tribes of Uganda despised us. We had very few educated Langi which led to all the top government posts being filled by people from other tribes. This made all the Langi to envy other tribes. We are now totally convinced that should you follow to the letter what is stipulated in our document, herewith known as The Lango Development Plan, Lango shall rise and shine and, you shall be able to rule Uganda for at least 50 years!

Fundamental steps to be taken:

  1. Increase the number of schools in Lango and post in them highly educated teachers, we shall take it upon ourselves to fill the schools with pupils and students every year.
  2. We must ensure that Langi are made Education Officers in order to equate the number of Acholi Education Officers, or even to supersede them. We must not accept the Acholi to boast that they are cleverer than us, Langi.
  3. With immediate effect, send Langi students abroad on scholarships. We must ensure that vacancies are reserved for them in key government positions to deter people from other tribes being employed in such positions, such that our sons and daughters get employed immediately upon their return. In the unlikely event, should an Acholi be employed in a key position, then he should not be boss to a Langi.
  4. Increase the number of industries and factories in Lango in order to boost our economic power. We are well aware that this will cause the other districts to become jealousy of any developments in Lango, but this shall force the other regions to federate with us basing on our strong purchasing power base. The only serious opposition we might face is from the Acholi, especially should the number of industries in their region increase.
  5. We are aware that there is a considerable number of Acholi in the army, police and Prisons’ forces more than the Langi. We would be grateful if the numbers of Langi were increased to supersede the Acholi, and we request that this be implemented as soon as possible. We foresee with dismay the danger of the Lugbara and Madi joining forces in order to topple your government. We therefore recommend that the following Langi army officers: Arach Metucela, Oboma Ayumu, Ogwang and Elyak, be promoted immediately in order to head the armed forces. Since we do not trust other tribes, Metucela Arach should be promoted to the rank of Major General and, either Oboma or Elyak be made Chief of Staff. With respect to Police, Odongo should be made the Inspector General of Police and Samson Ochan should be made the Commissioner for Prisons. Should these recommendations delay to be implemented, we shall suffer heavily. We therefore make the following proposals in order to implement these recommendations: There is quite a considerable number of Acholi officers in the Police and Prisons forces who have served for quite a long time although they are not well educated. You should promote these not so-intelligent elderly officers but not the young energetic intelligent Acholi. Langi youthful officers should be strategically put to work side by side with these Acholi elderly officers so that with time you weed out the Acholi and replace them with the Langi youthful officers. The good in keeping the elderly Acholi officers is that they despise any advice from the youthful Acholi that could lead them to get ideas of toppling your government. We should be wary of Idi Amin despite his being semi-illiterate because he can easily join hands with intelligent Lugbara who can plan to topple your government. We do not want that Acholi, Anywar, to be head of the Special Branch. This post should be given to a Langi.
  6. We wish that all recruiting officers in all government departments are Langi. This will give a chance to those Langi who did not get access to education to get access to wealth. Any Indian or foreign national who mistreats a Langi should be expelled from Uganda. The following ministries should be headed by Langi: Planning and Economic Development; Agriculture; Education and; Health. The Acholi should not be given an opportunity to head ministries or even departments that are directly in the line of developing the country.
  7. Whenever a need arises to carry out a project in Acholi, the same project should also be carried out in Lango, as a must. Should there be any programme to be executed by the Acholi, we must see to it that also Langi officers are involved.
  8. Send as many Langi officers as possible to work in Acholi, especially as administrators. This shall dupe the villagers in Acholi that we Langi are the best educated. Ensure that the District Commissioner for Acholi district is always a Langi who shall give us a non-compromised report on exactly what the Acholi are up to. This DC should also encourage the fanning of divisions among the Acholi and any progressive Acholi with the intent of uniting East and West Acholi should be earmarked. However, should East Acholi wish to join us, they should be most welcome, in fact should there be any developmental projects to be carried out in Acholi, they should be along the border areas with Lango in order for the Langi to benefit the most.
  9. Please ensure that many Langi join the ranks of NUYO, as this will dupe the other tribes that its only the Langi who are capable of leading the nation. We should instil this myth in the minds of all the other tribes by ensuring that only Langi are appointed in key administrative posts. This will serve us well since the country is headed for development because then all the other tribes in Uganda shall be made to believe that it is only Langi who are capable of being good leaders and that anything good can only be found in Lango.
  10. The Langi are quite unhappy about the current boundaries with Acholi. The boundary should have been from Adilang straight to Bobi following the road to Koch and Karuma. This was the wise counsel of Yakobo Adoko. On the side of Teso, Kumam territory should be annexed to Lango, whereas on the side of Karamoja, Lango should stretch up to Labwor.
  11. We should be secretive on whatever goes on within Lango. All developmental projects in Lango should not be brioadcast on the national Radio or even in the newspapers. People without a strong foundation should not be allowed to work in Lango. At the same time, people who are well conversant with Lango but despise us should also not be allowed to serve in Lango. This should be so in order to avoid the impression that Lango is being developed at a fast rate at the expense of other regions.
  12. The following departments should be headed by Langi: Public Service Commission; Uganda Development Corporation; Nyanza Textiles; Tororo Cement Works; Uganda Hotels; Kilembe Mines and Uganda National Parks. All this is possible but it seems that there is an element of inferiority complex. Please also note the following:

Ankole: Kahigiriza is incapable of implementing our ideals because of the fear that someone else could take over his position.

Kigezi: Mpambara readily accepts anything put before him on his plate.

Toro: Samson Rusoke is wary of Rwambarali because he thinks that the latter might replace him as the Omuhikiirwa (Prime Minister) of Toro.

Buganda: There is nothing to fear in Buganda, except for that stupid Acholi by the names of Daudi Ochieng, who is not even liked by the Baganda themselves. Even in his own home he is not popular and his relatives loathe him as well, they do not trust him.

Busoga: Nadiope is well aware how he faces eminent opposition from Bamutire and also how he is dislikedby the Basoga in Iganga.

Lango: You are adored by all in lango except for that fool Ben Emor, who tried to make himself popular by means of trying to promote the Union. Emor has been earmarked and all his movements are being monitored.

Acholi: There is nothing to fear in Acholi land, for all the bad elements were taken care of by Peter Oola. The remnants are now located outside the district and, even though they returned; it would be too late because no Acholi could believe what they preached.

Lugbara and Madi: These are hopeless people, there is nothing to fear among them.

  1. The Scholarships Committee responsible for sending students abroad should be composed of only dedicated Langi. Educating of the Acholi should be put in check; however, there should be no fear for educating the other tribes.
  2. We wish that all the teachers in Ngeta and Boroboro TTC be strictly Langi. Teachers from other tribes other than Langi who wish to teach in schools and institutions found in Lango should have a good knowledge of the Langi Luo version and English only.
  3. It is an open secret that there is a privately owned school in Acholi which is aided by the government. This school falls in the same category as those of Jefania Okae and Kejekia Okulu in Lango district. Where is it that these latter two schools in Lango are not aided by the government?
  4. We do not want to see any Jaluos in Lira or even to see them fishing in Kwibale, Namasale, Acung, Ibuje or any other place in Lango. They should relocate to Acholi or West Nile.
  5. We hope that you are well aware how the Baganda used to seat on the busts of our grandparents while they drank liquor or brew. This act by the Baganda shall always be remembered by us, the Langi. Up to till today, the Acholi tease us how they used to burn us just like game, when will the Acholi ever be roasted like a game of elephants? At times Akena Adoko tells us that he is the only one capable of dealing with the Acholi.
  6. We reliably learnt from G.M. Okae that there are  two Acholi lecturers in the Makerere University College, why are there no Langi lecturers? Maybe this is the reason why there are also few Langi students in the University College, reason being that they (Langi) are frustrated by the Acholi lecturers. The Langi should be trained as tomorrows leaders since they are to rule Uganda.

Your Excellency,

This is the full report of our investigations from all the regions of Uganda. As per our wish, there should be no elections at all, for what benefit is it to hold general elections today? The general elections we held in the first place was because we wanted to end colonial rule and thus expel the British; now whom do we want to expel to necessitate the holding of general elections? We acknowledge the authority you command owing to your position as President of the Party, a phenomenon that has generated a lot of envy among your fellow UPC inner circle. Should you allow any other person to take over that position, we as Langi shall be subjected to enormous suffering. Increase the ranks of Langi officers within the army, police and prison forces and the commander of the Special Force must be a Langi and not from any other tribe. We do not want an Acholi to head the Special Branch.

Never familiarise yourself with Acholi because they are not to be trusted and can easily poison you. There is no doubt that you are capable of ruling Uganda for 50 years should you collaborate with the great sons of Lango such as Adoko .A. Nekyon, J.M. Okae, Abdallah Anyuru, Joel Wacha-Olwol, Ben Otim-Etura and Yokosafati Engur who is currently overseas. We wish you success, God blessed us to cooperate and work with you, in fact should anyone attempt to do you any harm, we are willing to sacrifice our own lives for you. Long live our son, we are your confidants and this document should only be circulated only among members of our most trusted inner circle.

An addendum to this document contained the following advice.

Our Great Leader, Apollo Milton Obote,

  1. You should not be deceived by anyone that the Acholi detest Peter Oola. We the Langi, like Oola so much because it is through him that we can undermine the Acholi.
  2. Never at any give time, allow Alipayo Oloya to be the chairman of Acholi District Council (ADC). We as Langi, protest such a move. Do you best to have the ADC chairmanship elections postponed until such a time when we have got a suitable person to replace Alipayo Oloya.
  3. Save us from these Acholi, we detest Eria Lakidi’s being in Entebbe and others also from Acholi district.
  4. Save us from the Acholi, we do not want any Acholi to be a minister of either the Agriculture, or Planning and Economic Development.
  5. Felix Onama should be made the Secretary General of UPC. We protest John Kakonge’s being given any post in UPC. We detest Otim-Oryem, an Acholi, being the Organiser of the Party.
  6. Save us from the Acholi, we do not want Wilson Lutara to be in a position where he can gain access to government secrets because he shall then be in a position to pass them over to the Acholi.
  7. Great leader, a considerable number of Langi should be posted in Acholi landas informants in order to keep us updated on what the Acholi are up to.
  8. Save us from the Acholi, you gave our land to the Acholi, when shall it be returned to us?
  9. Your Excellency, with all our hearts we request you to save us from the Acholi. Ensnure that Erinayo Oryema remains the Inspector General of Police until such a time when a suitable Langi replacement is found.
  10. Your Excellency, you are well aware of how the Acholi disrespect us the Langi, why have you decided to keep mum?

This is all, Your Excellency, that there is to inform you. We shall send you an envoy at a later time. We have nominated you as the Party President and wish you success. Thank the Heavens.

Signed,

Okello-Apello

Lira, Lango

6 June 1968

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Common Man’s charter rubbed the British

February 7, 2009 at 3:28 pm (History, POLITICS)
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This document rubbed a lot of people’s feathers including the British who saw it as a threat to their interests in Uganda . It is believed that it may have been one of the strongest reasons why the British and Israelis decided to sponsor Amin’s coup against Obote. Actually, Obote confirmed this when he was in London  on February 24, 1978, to prosecute successfully a libel suit against Judith Countess of Listowel, author of a laudatory biography of Amin. Obote and two of his aides left London about $125,000 richer than when they came, at least on paper.

Also, former CIA officials who have become critical of the agency said that Mossad, the Israeli intelligence, service worked out with the British Secret Intelligence Service and Langley to get rid of Obote. In 1971, Obote was regarded as a dangerous socialist who was embarrassing Britain in particular over Prime Minister Edward Health’s insistence on selling arms to South Africa .

By the way, I’m not an Obote Hater as some people want to portray me. I’m just pointing out facts as far as Obote was concerned. For instance, I know for sure that Museveni was obsecessed with Obote throughout his first years of leadership and that is why NRM created that organisation called FOBA(Bring Obote Back) as a way of scaring the Baganda. But at the same time, I know the evil side of Obote and I don’t need to be 60 years old as Mulindwa thinks to know what Obote was capable of. Like I said, the whole truth will come out slowly  and I think we are getting there.

Abbey.K.Semuwemba

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Common Man’s Charter was Obote’s shutter

February 7, 2009 at 3:24 pm (History, Uncategorized)
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The charter was the shutter and shatterer of AM Obote’s political career. Throughout the (first) cold war, there was a fierce struggle between NATO and Warsaw Treaty block over who would control Africa, particularly the strategic southern cone where there many liberation wars raging, in addition to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.

The stand-off between the rival blocks played out along what was called the ‘Blue Belt’ (BB) and the ‘Red Corridor’ (RC). The RC was a chain of pro-Soviet countries running in a north-Southerly direction from Cairo with the intention of linking with the Cape, thus: Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, then linking to the countries that were then struggling for liberation..Rhodesia, Angola, Mozambique…the frontline against apartheid South Africa. That corridor was perceived by the west to be a pipeline for transmitting soviet military aid to the frontline states, then eventually to the antiapartheid movements that would subsequently take South Africa out of the control of the West….making the Cape sea-lane of communication unavailable for oil tankers coming from the gulf.

The BB was NATO’s attempt to interrupt the RC by slicing it in the waist from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, from Kenya, through Uganda to Zaire. Uganda’s geostrategic location placed us at the confluence of those two trails of East-West struggle. He who controlled Uganda controlled Africa. Recall that in 1967 Mw. Nyerere made the Arusha Declaration turning Tanzania into a socialist (hence supposedly pro-East state), then in 1968 Mr K Kaunda made the Mulungushi Declaration also turning Zambia into a prosocialist state (‘Humanism’). That made the West shiver. Before they could recover from that, then later in 1968 comes the Nakivubo Declaration, Uganda’s move to the left. So, three declarations to consolidate the RC.

Then enter 1969, with Gen G Mimeiri overthrowing Ismail al-Azhari, and immediately making a kind of “Khartoum Declaration”. Like the other three in the RC who made declarations to nationalise banks and industries, Nimeiri did all that nad set Sudan onto the path of socialist reforms. In all this, as we have seen, Uganda was the centrepiece and the ultimate prize that each of the global powers was salivating for. J Mobutu was blue already, thanks to the earlier death of P. Lumumba who would have probably made a “Kinshasa declaration”. J Kenyatta was the West’s son-in-law, and Mombasa was already available for the United States Central Command Forces (formerly Rapid Deployment Force). So Uganda had to get out of the RC, and AM Obote had either to take back his words of the “Nakivubo Declaration” or go.

This reminds me of these words: “Mr Obote seems to have been misled or misinformed that the Baganda will accept a commoner to rule this country when the British go. The truth is Buganda will use all its available forces to see that the Kabaka becomes head of state of Uganda or Buganda secession when independence is attained” (Paul Tebandeke, Uganda Argus, Saturday, 20 August, 1960; page 2) So, the Common Man’s Charter was the commoner’s shatter. Nevertheless, it was big algebra at play.

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Sedition charges did not start with president museveni

February 6, 2009 at 12:07 am (History, POLITICS)
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In reaction to the letter wrote by Raymond Otika in the weekly Uganda observer entitled:’ Sedition comes with oppression’, I would like to say that sedition charges did not start with president museveni as he learnt that from one of his predecessors, Dr. Milton Obote. Journalists and the media were some of the biggest casualties of the government’s sensitivity to criticism during Obote and now Museveni. Pro-baganda newspapers like the economy had a breather after the fall of Amin but things started getting tougher afterwards. Obote also got tougher on foreign journalists who had had freedom under Lule and Binaisa. Many newspapers like the weekly topic were closed down by government officials under obote 2. Anthony Sekweyama, the editor of the main Luganda newspaper, Mumansi, and two other employees of the paper were arrested in March and held for three weeks on sedition charges. They were released in mid-April, but the paper — which was the voice of the opposition, Democratic Party — did not reappear until the middle of May. Even the Chief Editor of the new Sunday edition of the government Uganda Times was detained after only editing two issues. The Obote government was apparently annoyed by an article criticising the US boycott of Libyan oil. Obote had turned his previous socialist policies on their head and had been hard at work courting Western investors. No doubt he did not wish them annoyed by a government paper. Surprisingly, Museveni’s paper: Resistance News of the NRM was left on the streets for a while-a point which strengthenes the argument of those who say that Obote always did undermine the strengths of Museveni from day one.

 

Museveni’s idea of the media centre headed by Robert Kabushenga did not come from the moon. Obote was the man who first introduced  Newspaper and Publications Act to lay down conditions for the starting of a newspaper or magazine in Uganda. Museveni’s media centre is an equivalent of Obote’s  Press Accreditation Committee (PAC) which had representatives from the Ministries of Information, Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs. Ugandan journalists wishing to send material to foreign sources had to be approved by the same body.

 

In addition,the throwing away of foreign journalists from Uganda did not start with Museveni as some people think. Four Western journalists who included: Christabel King, Nick Worrall, June Dechter and Bob Dietz, had their accreditation withdrawn before the December 1980 elections which brought Obote to power, mainly because they were considered unsympathetic to Obote. Then four other journalists resident in Kampala also had their press credentials withdrawn and these were: Cameron Morton (September 1981), Mark Lee (December 1981), Tom Lansner (November 1981) and Trent O’Keefe (January 1982). Visiting correspondents, including representatives of the Daily Telegraph and British Independent Television News, were also thrown out of Uganda. The Minister of Information at that time, Dr David Anyoti, said that only qualified and bona fide journalists were permitted to work in the country. He condemned freelance journalists as bent on ’sensational and subjective journalism’ and condemned the foreign news media for using ’second-rate yellow journalists’. Cameron Morton, for example, was put under house arrest and expelled immediately after reporting army massacres in the West Nile and Trent O’Keefe had his accreditation withdrawn a few days after a BBC report of the murder of five churchgoers by Ugandan troops during a Sunday service in Katiti village in Luwero district. Actually, any body telling you that the killing of Ugandans like bees in Luwero started with NRM is just kicking himself in the teeth. Probably president Museveni can now be called a student of Obote politics in Uganda.

 

Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba

United Kingdom

 

 

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What part does the population play in Uganda politics?

February 5, 2009 at 11:46 pm (History, POLITICS)
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Ugandans

 As a Ugandan outside Uganda, I have the ability to look at Uganda from the out side, an ability that those are at home do not have. And tonight I need to introduce another section of Ugandans that we have failed to address all along. In reading the many postings here, one gets an impression that if Museveni gets out of power today Uganda will change for a better nation, yes I have seen postings of how Museveni directed the attack on Monitor publications. Do you seriously think that a president can have even a time to direct such an attack?

The problem you have comfortably agreed to ignore is the part Uganda society plays into this very terrible situation. And I am going to give you several examples of how this problem has been slowly growing to such a magnitude. When UPC was in power, one of the most important things they did was to create a self sustaining economy, but let us look closely on Eastern and Western Uganda. Both of these regions were involved into animal husbandry, Places especially Eastern Uganda, they had thousands of cows, cows that fed the Karimojongs and their children. That is why you did not see Karimojong kids on Kampala road for they had an economy to self sustain. Because of the cows industry, the then sitting government bought special train wagons to transport cows from Eastern to the rest of Uganda for the market. When these men and women came from the jungle, they not only killed the Karamoja cows industry but they changed the train wagons from carrying the cows from Eastern Uganda to ferrying the population. They named it Akayoola. Do you remember that term Akayoola?

Although its creation was a sign of a travesty in Eastern Uganda, Ugandans called it a development. What they did not know was that the cows in Eastern Uganda had been all looted and sent to Mbarara, guns ferried to Karamoja, they did not bother to complain about it. Where we are today, the Akayoola industry collapsed as well, the Karimojong kids are on Kampala road and Ugandans are stealing the rails from line to be used as a base to build a concretes of pit latrines.

When Iddi Amin came to power he decided to up grade the Uganda Railway, you see that railway was very important into the development of Uganda. There are those of us who expected it to be developed that it would take all containers going to Rwanda Burundi DRC Sudan and Central African Republic. You have just removed the trailers off Uganda roads. You see when you can dump all containers to Kaseese, the owners can pick all of them from Kasese and then drive them to various countries. Imagine a spin off of jobs in Kasese. Some of us had a dream of extending the Pakhwach line to Sudan, for when you connect that line to the Sudan line you can send a train straight to The Mediterranean sea. That can open up an entire market of goods to Europe, but you can as well run a passenger train from the Mediterranean to the Great Lakes. Iddi Amin pumped some real cash into the Railway industry and refurbished most of the coaches to obtain up scale kitchens and refrigerators. Those facilities arrived to the Uganda railway, and Ugandans not Museveni but Ugandans looted them that today there is no single coach in Uganda with a fridge and except those of us a few that keep our noses into everyone’s business, I wonder if any of you ever saw the up scale coaches Amin bought.

I went to Uganda to visit one day and a very good friend called me to visit him for a week end which I did. As the dinner got to the table I failed to eat for a very simple reason that the plates that were brought to us to use were clearly marked Uganda Hotels. The plates, the spoons, the folks and even the table napkins, all were marked Uganda hotels. You would think that we are in a dining room of Apollo Hotel. Was Iddi Amin a bad president? Yes if you say so. Was Obote a bad president yes if you say so, but did they order you as a Ugandan to go to Uganda hotels and steal all those plates and when did it become even legal to use them? But society accepted it and moved on, they only stand day in day out blaming Amin and Museveni but them selves. It got better when we went to the bed, for the first day we slept into bed sheets marked Namirembe hospital and the second day it was Rubaga hospital. The bed I slept on belonged to Mulago hospital. Did Museveni take this beds and bed sheets to this friend of mine?

Which reminds me of a Ugandan in Bbaale Galiraya who went to industrial area and looted a full container of boxes with engine parts labeled Made in Germany. He decided to keep quite about it until when the looting spree passes. This guy told us very openly that he has thousands of Mercedes Benz engines, “I am going to assemble one by one and die rich” so he stated. After the looting this man started to look for the mechanics to start the assembling of the engines, but no one knew what these parts were. He came to Kayunga to no solution, he went to Spear Motors and they did not know the parts. Lastly he asked a technician from Roko Construction to show up. It was revealed that they were actually spare parts of train engines. The fella did not have a plan to make a railway line in Bbaale Galiraya. Did Amin or Obote or Museveni instruct this Ugandan to take these equipments?

Let us go back at the removal of Amin, this man had decided to make massive changes in Uganda, among the things he had bought was the garbage trucks that used to lift the bins, do you know that one of the members of FDC today, actually stole all of them and sent them to Rwanda to be registered as private trucks? What happened to all Peugeot 504s that Uganda Police received towards the fall of Amin? But here is a good one, a new company of buses was being created to help on the UTC and Republic Express Services. The buses were being assembled in Kireka Ministry of works, and they were yellow. Remember those? All those buses were stolen by Ugandans to no avail, but in all the fleet that were stolen, there was this bus that made me understand Ugandans. This bus was towed into a valley of between Bweyogerere and Kireka, on the south side near Mandela stadium, and you could see it from a far. but every morning we would see this bus from the road but loosing body parts every day. Ugandans were cutting its body and taking it until when they finished it. The bus literary got obliterated by Ugandans them selves.

 On visiting a relative in Hoima I walked into an old woman’s hut, and she had a magnetic head phone. Remember those that were brought in Uganda under the Amin’s services nearer to the people program. They had a handle you need to turn to call the operator. So I asked this old woman what she had on her table, and she ravishingly stated “Oyo malidadi wange abaana bamujja Kampala ne mugula” She did not even know that it was a phone for she had never seen a phone in her life.

Let me not tire you this is my conclusion. Ugandans are not only naked thieves but they are killers. Where do you think do the members of black Mambas come from? Canada? No sir they are Ugandans these are men and women you dine with in restaurants. One of the reasons we will pressure an inqurery into Uganda nightmare is to let Ugandans understand how brutal their children are. UPDF soldiers and mainly Baganda go to the North and rape men in front of their wives and children. Did you expect a Muganda to do that? I hear a story of Baganda are very well coming people, well can we allow a Northerner to put that thesis to test? And I refuse the nonsense of they are directed, and I have seen that lie walking in here naked. Tell me right now, can you be directed to rape a man in Uganda and you drop your pants?  Barracks unit 35 of Andrew Kayiira was all killed in one night.  It is a pile of crap for any one to claim, Eh Munange Museveni yeyabalagiranga okutta abantu. Gogera nga aganywedde amalwa. No these are all killers and they should all be put to trial. Give me a dam break. I challenge you to understand the population that the Movement is leaving you to use. For the population you have today, it is a very worrisome population that no body can use to even re build Uganda. Museveni no Museveni. So as you are looking for a new leader, one might want to start to look for a new population. A crossbreed of Kenyans and Burundians can be a good start.

Mulindwa Edward

Canada

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Gadaffi just using kingdoms

February 5, 2009 at 7:45 am (CULTURE, History, KINGDOMS)
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Hello Netters,

Seriously, can somebody please help the bunyoro spokesperson,Mr Mirima, in learning to correctly choose friends for his Kingdom?Now he is admiringly describing Gadaffi as “furiously anti-colonialist”. Does he really know who he is talking about?At the same time he is trying to be clever and pretend that the Tripoli events he himself previously described as “demeaning” in the ‘ UAH’ forum did not take place.

The facts are these:

a) If you take Gadaffi’s money, you will have no choice but to allow him to “ku-jooga” you. Ask all these African “Presidents” (President Museveni included) whose security guards are regularly beaten up under their noses by Gadaffi’s security detail. The mistake of the Bunyoro and Toro government’s was to assume that they would be spared such humiliations. Nigerians say: “Those who choose to lie down with dogs should not complain when fleas begin to bite them”. Take note, Mr Mirima.

b) If Gadaffi is “furiously anti-colonialist” as Mr Mirima admiringly puts it, then why did he immediately shut up during the Arab League summit before the first Gulf War when another delegate interrupted his wild anti-American speech with the simple question: “Gadaffi, who exactly put you in power?”.

You see, there is a widely held view in the Arab world that the 1969 coup against King Idriss (?) that brought this madman to power was actually organised by the CIA. Take note again, Mr Mirima, before making yourself the Publicity Secretary for the Muammar Gadaffi Fan Club.

This is why Gadaffi has never really been taken seriously in Middle Eastern politics, despite all the noise he makes and money he deploys. Eventually, in his frustration, he decided to abandon the Arab Leaue and re-invent himself as “an African”, and be a big fish in our small-pond politics. This is what those native leaders need to grasp: The man is here because he is a reject in Arab politics (where he really wants to be respected). This has nothing to do with love for black people, or for the mighty Kabalega, or even African women. He does not care about you and your problems at all. You are his “spare tyre”. He is simply looking for an arena where he can appear like the Big Boss, and then use that to go and try and impress his fellow Arabs as the “President of Africa”. Because of our material and intellectual poverty, some of us -Mr Mirima, and President Museveni being perfect examples here- fell into that trap, and are now struggling to disentangle themselves from its humuliating costs, having long consumed the “benefits” (i.e. cash and Rado watches).

The African Presidents are now realising their mistake and trying to isolate Gadaffi within the AU, so his tactical response is to pocket as many traditional leaders as can be bought, and then use them as a stick to beat the Presidents with. This is very risky, as it can create instability and civil wars in very many sub-saharan countries (like Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda) that have not yet properly resolved their domestic “traditional-modern” relationship.

Now, this is a very serious situation for Black Africa. Our indigenous nations (Bunyoro, Buganda, Toro, etc) are our only real hope for the future. For this arrogant half-Arab (he is actually a Ber-Ber) to play around with our Presidencies and fake “Republics” is one thing, but to begin toying with native rulers is a very grave threat to our futures indeed.

Those claiming to work for the Kingdoms of Bunyoro and Toro need to wake up and seriously review their strategic game-plans: Who are your friends? Who are your enemies?

Your first big mistake was to assume that a central government (currently NRM) was your friend. Through it, you were introduced to this even more disastrous Gadaffi relationship. Your troubles are now just beginning. Do you imagine that Gadaffi is going to stop where he has reached so far?

Your real friend is the other native nations that face the same problems as you do. As again the Nigerians say: “why spend so much energy trying to see behind your ear, when all along what you are looking for is right under your nose?”.

Mr Mirima; it is past time for you to stop hating Baganda and start thinking. And send back the watch.

Peace.

Serumaga

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For clarification, Col. Muammar El Qaddaffi is not a president but a leader. He ceased to be president when Libya transformed from a republic to a Jamahiriyya (State of the Masses) Even there are no ministers in Libya but secretaries. There is no parliament but General Popular Congress and People’s committees. There are no embassies but people’s bureaus and no ambassadors but people’s bureau secretaries.

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39 years ago – our history Pope visit

February 3, 2009 at 9:30 am (CULTURE, History)
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I think that this is also an important part of Uganda ’s history and deserves to be among the archive files

On Thursday 31 July 1969, at exactly 3:00 p.m East African Time, an East African Airways Super VC10 touched down at Entebbe airport having flown in from the side of kampala and accompanied by four military jets flying in echelon. At exactly 3:13 p.m. the door of the VC10 was opened and Pope Paul VI stepped out of the aircraft amid ululations and jubilations.

On the tarmac he was met by Milton Obote and first lady Miria Kalule. Later on, Milton Obote introduced him to the Heads of State that had come to Uganda to benefit from the papal visit;

1. Julius Nyerere of Tanzania

2. Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia

3. Kayibanda of Rwanda

4. Micombero of Burundi

5. Representative for Joseph Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku wa Zabanga of Congo-Kinshasa

6. Representative of General Gowon of Federal Nigeria

7. Reprsentative of General Ojukwu of Republic of Biafra (the break away Ibo Eastern Region of Nigeria)

The Pope then greated the Heads of the Church (both Roman and Anglican catholic) and proceded to the dias for the national Anthems of Vaticano and Uganda to be played. Obote later made a long welcome speech (he was fond of that) thanking the Pope for having a great love for Africa . The Pope on his part made a very brief speech but with a sting on dictatorial and communist leaders. The Prelate said that the Catholic Church would not just sit idle and let innocent citizens to be mistreated the world over by dictators who wished to deprive the people of their rights! He concluded with a phrase in Luganda, “Mwebale nnyo okumpuliriza“, to which the crowd thundered “Kale Kitaffe mu Katonda!” together with thunderous clapping. Some were heard whispering to each other, “Owulidde Papa bw’amanyi Oluganda! Ovanga ku bantu!“

The journey from Entebbe to Lubaga took a whole 2 hrs. At the Cathedral, he was welcomed by Cardinal Rugambwa of Dar es Salaam Archdiocese, who ushered him into the Cathedral. At the begining of the Mass, he said a short prayer in French and English. He then turned to the congregation and blessed them in Luganda, “Omukama abeere nammwe!”, to which they replied mesmerized, “Naawe abeere naawe!” More thunderous clapping!!!

From Lubaga he went to the presidential lodge at Nakasero to a dinner hosted by Milton Obote. Interestingly, all the reporters were barred from entry apart from those from the govt Min. of Information and Prediential Press. Obote presented the Pope with numerous gifts among which were 22 ivory tusks in rememberance of the 22 Buganda (now Uganda ) martyrs. In return, (the Baganda say, Kabbo ka muwala kajja kajjudde kaddayo kajjudde) the Pope gave the govt of Uganda thru Milton Obote, 350,000/= of the time (exchange rate was $1 = 8/-) in order assist the destitutes of Uganda and those suffering from Polio. He also bestowed upon Milton Obote, John Babiiha, Sam Odaka; The Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius. As for Basil Bataringaya and the Speaker of the National Assembly – Hon. Patel, he bestowed upon them The Grand Cross of St. Gregory the Great. In appreciation, Miria Kalule Obote presented the Pope with an expensive wrist watch.

1st August 1969 was Mass day at Kololo airstrip which he celebrated with 11 Cardinals and later ordained bishops from Uganda (Halem’imana – Kabale, Baharagate – Hoima, Kakubi – Mbarara and Magambo – Fort Portal ). From Kololo he went to the National Assembly to meet the MP’s and made a brief speech. From the parliament he went to Old Mulago hospital, being accompanied all the time by Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga, where he was welcomed by Hon. C. Katiti then ministr of Culture and development. He then went to New Mulago hospital where he was welcomed by Hon. Wakhooli who was representing minister of health Hon. Lwamafa. Among the govt delegates at New Mulago were Maj. Gen. Idi Amin, IGP Erinayo Oryema.

From Mulago he went to Mmengo Kisenyi to the spot where Yakobo Buuzabalyawo and Yozefu Balikuddembe were murdered. He blessed the spot and donated money to build a church at the spot in rememberance of the duo. From there he went to Lubaga Uganda Social Centre where he also prayed and donated money to complete the Social Centre.

2nd August 1969 was Mass day at Namugongo. He started off at the Anglican catholic site where majority of the martyrs were murdered. He was welcomed by Archbishop Eric Sabiti and Bishop Dunstan Nsubuga of Namirembe, in whose Diocese this site is located. He was taken in a mock-hut similar to the one in which Kabaka’s Chief guard Mukajanga used to live. He entered the hut and prayed for the poor fellows soul. He was briefed on the Buganda kingdoms norms of the days when Mukajanga carried out the death warrants. Archbishop Eric Sabiti presented the Pope wityh a Bible and Kiganda traditional mats. In return, the Pope presented the Archbishop with his own (Pope Paul) cross which he was wearing at the time while to the rest of the Anglican catholics he presented medals. Obote and all the visiting Heads of State were present.

The Pope then headed to the Roman Catholic site where Karoli Lwanga was murdered. He was welcomed by Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga who offered him a seat. The cardinal read out a welcome speech in which he further thanked the Pope for his extra generous contribution of 140,000/- towards the completion of Namugongo Martyrs Shrine. He then invited the Pope to consecrate the Holy Altar that was built at the very spot where Karoli lwanga was murdered. The Pope walked silently to the altar amid solemn silence, knelt down and kissed the ground where karoli Lwanga had laid slain. He then consecrated the altar and proceded with the Mass in which he baptised 22 children in rememberance of the 22 martyrs. He also confrimed 22 confirmants in rememberance of the 22 martyrs. At the end of the Mass, the Pope removed his papal vestiments and mitar and did something that had never been done before anywhere in the world by any living Pope. He presented his papal vestiments, mitar and staff to Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga! Cardinal Nsubuga was humbled beyond words!

From Namugongo the Pope went back to Lubaga where he had lunch with the bishops and clergy. The different Hads of State also were invited and they held brief talks with the Prelate. He later celebrated Mass at Lubuga cathedral at 5:30 p.m. At the end of the Mass, in his farewell speech, he donated 1,400,000/- to the Uganda Roman Catholic church in order to help spread the gospel. He then headed to Entebbe airport where he boarded the EAA VC10 back to Rome . While in cruise, the Pope telephoned Obote to thank him and the people of Uganda for the hospitality offered to him.

Who was Pope Paul VI? He was born Giovani Batista Maria Montini, a very humble boy that was born in Italy in 1897, that had never dreamt of becoming a priest until at age 17, when he was turned away from the Italian Army conscripts evaluation during World War 1 because of his poor health.

That is our history that should also not be re-written.

Robert Nviirimbiziwomerannyinizo

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YMCA Foundation stone. where is it

February 3, 2009 at 9:23 am (CULTURE, History, KINGDOMS)
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I think that this is also vital information for our nation that deserves to be in the archives for future reference. When I was still a member of the Boy’s scout at Baden Powell centre near YMCA, we used to go to YMCA canteen to buy some grub. This was 1976-78. This stone was still in place at the entrance to the YMCA building. When I gained interest in Buganda’s history once again in 1990, I took my time to visit the YMCA, tell you what? The Foundation Stone was nowhere to be seen. This means that the stone was gouged out during Obote II regime! Obukyayi obwenkana awo bulituusa wa? May Sir Edward’s Soul Rest In Eternal Peace. Tusabire nnyaffe Buganda.


Nviiri

Nviiri

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Amin addresses Religious leaders(May,1971)

February 3, 2009 at 8:30 am (History, POLITICS)
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How time flies and how history repeats itself!!!
In a bid to bridge the various religious sects, Idi Amin convened an All Religious Leaders Conference on Kabale in May 1971. He later convened a meeting of heads of States and Religious beliefs in June 1971 at the Kampala International Conference Centre in order to brief them on the resolutions of the Kabale conference. The pics follow below.

Enjoy the historical pics

President of Uganda General Idi Amin Dada opening the All Religious Leaders Conference in Kabale

Shortly after the Kabale conference, Idi Amin brief the Officers and Men of the Uganda Army in Mbarara’s Simba Battalion barracks.

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Amin’s 1st cabinet

February 3, 2009 at 8:26 am (CULTURE, KINGDOMS, POLITICS)
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The First Cabinet of the 2nd Republic of Uganda as of 5th February 1971

H.E. Maj. Gen. Idi Amin Dada                                 Mr. A.C.K. Oboth Ofumbi

Head of State, Head of Government,                        Minister of State for Defence

Minister of Defence and Commander-in-Chief          (Fmr. Secretary for Defence)

Lt. Col. E.A.T. Obitre Gama            Mr. Wanume Kibedi                 Mr. E.B. Wakhweya

Min. of Internal Affairs                     Min. of Foreign Affairs              Min. of Finance

(Fmr. CO Paratroopers sch)            (Advocate in Kampala )             (Fmr. Secretary to Treasury)

Mr. Apollo K. Kironde                    Mr. Yekosofat Engur                Eng. J.M.N. Zikusooka

Min. of Planning & Econ.                 Min. of Culture and                   Min. of Works, Housing

Development (Fmr.                          Community Devt. (Fmr.            And Communication.

Permanent Rep. to UN)                   USSR Ambassador)                 (Fmr. PS & Chief Eng.)

Dr. J.H. Gesa                                  Mr. J.M. Byagagaire                 Mr. Wilson Lutara

Min. of Health                                  Min. of  Labour                        Min. of Commerce, Industry

(Fmr. PS & Chief                            (Fmr. PS Presidents office        (Fmr. Director General, East

Medical Officer)                              and Secretary to Cabinet)         African Airways Corp.)

Mr. William Naburi                          Mr. Erinayo W. Oryema           Mr. V.A. Ovonji

Min. of Information                          Min. of  Minerals and                Min. of Public Service and

& Broadcasting (Fmr.                      Water Resources (Fmr.            Local Administration (Fmr.

SG Karamoja district)                      Insp. General of Police)            DG East African Harbours)

Mr. Abu K. Mayanja                       Mr. P.J. Nkambo Mugerwa      Prof. W.B. Banage

Min. of Education                            Attorney General                      Min. of Animal Industry,

(Advocate in Kampala )                    (Fmr. Solicitor General)            Game & Fisheries (Fmr.

Prof. of Zoology faculty,

Makerere University

Mr. F.L. Okware                             Princess Elizabeth Bagaya

Mini. Of Agriculture, Forestry          Permanent Representative to

And Co-operatives (Fmr.                 UN (Advocate & Actress)

Commissioner of Prisons)

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Pictures of our first president

February 2, 2009 at 10:50 pm (CULTURE, KINGDOMS)
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Interested members and fellow Baganda,

Here below are more pictures of our first president and beloved Ssekabaka’s life for our archives.
Awangaale Ssabasajja

Brief Life Pictorial of Sir Edward II



This is when he wrote an essay about ‘What is Love?’ that won his teacher’s heart. In brief he wrote:

Love begins in our homes, when we love each other. It then grows to our neighbours, from there it extends to the whole village, sub-county, county, country and lastly the whole world. That is what is called True Love.

This essay is still closely kept up to this day, in Sir Edward’s own handwriting.

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1st Republic of Uganda Cabinet as of December 1970

February 2, 2009 at 9:41 pm (History, POLITICS, PRESIDENCY)
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For the benefit of our young generation who have been following our debates on Obote I regime and his government yet they may not even know how the man and his cabinet ministers looked like, and also for our historical memories, here below is Obote’s cabinet before he was kicked out by Maj. Gen. Idi Amin on 25th January 1971.

1st Republic of Uganda Cabinet as of December 1970

Dr. A.M Obote, President                 Mr. John Babiiha, Vice President          Mr. Lawrence Kalule

Minister Animal Industry, Game             Ssettaala, Minister of

& Fisheries                                               Finance

Mr. E.Y. Lakidi                    Mr. Sam Odaka                       Mr. Felix Onama, Minister of Defence

Minister of Labour              Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Basil Bataringaya                        Dr. J. Luyimbaazi Zaake                       Dr. Eriya Baabumba

Minister of Internal Affairs                  Minister of Education                      Minister of Marketing

& Co-operatives

Mr. Alex A. Ojera                Mr. J.N. Wakholi                     Mr. J. Anyoti

Minister of Broadcasting   Minister of Public Service     Minister of National Service

& Tourism                            & Cabinet Affairs

Mr. C.B. Katiiti                     Prince William W. Kalema        Mr. J.W. Lwamafa

Minister of Culture &          Minister of Commerce                Minister of Health

Community Development      & Industry

Mr. James S. Ochola                        Mr. John Kakonge                   Mr. M.L. Choudry

Minister of Regional                        Minister of Agriculture           Minister of Minerals & Water

Administration                                 & Forestry                               Resources

Mr. J.M. Okae                                 Mr. Shaban Nkutu                    Mr. Lamech Lubowa

Minister of Planning                       Minister of Works,                   Attorney General

& Economic Development           Transport & Housing

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