Bugisu’s Demands are Many, Negotiators are Lacking and People are Dying

Field Marshal, Al hajji Idi Amin Dada VC, DSO, MC, CBE’s regime that ended in 1979  was bl00dy, brutal and murderous.

But in the security and intelligence research that I and  my senior colleagues are currently undertaking, we have so far identified that though the  Ugandan population believed that Marshal Amin’s soldiers were both semi and illiterate in Bugisu, the then State Intelligence more especially police Special Branch – that was at one  time headed by our own, the late Wawuyo from Bugobero in Manafwa district – in  collaboration with State Research Bureau (SRB), had truly picked details and had put a  finger on Anti-Government subversive elements instigated by then young brother of mine,  Comrade Yoweri Museveni.

Museveni had infiltrated, social, economic and political sectors of  Bugisu sub region reportedly as revolutionary activist though they were seen as  Marxists/socialists who had undertaken various underground trainings most of them  inducted by the late Masaba Natoolo their senior, at the African Research Bureau in  Namakwekwe Estate.

Some of the other vibrant Bagisu youth of that time were former minister of Public  Service and Cabinet Affairs, the late Joshua Wakhooli in Obote I government.

Joshua wakhooli was killed at the war front alongside many other combatants, including the late Massette Kuuya’s elder brother, by Marshal Idi Amini’s forces when Ugandan dissidents first attacked the country from Tanzania in 1972. To date, Wakhooli’s  remains lie somewhere in the jungles of Mutukula and Sango Bay, Prof. Dani Wadada  Nabudere, Jack Maumbe Mukwana, Augustine Makowe of Bududa who saved museveni  from detention in Lwakhakha, Nanoka John Yolamu who saved him from arrest at the late  Nasanayiri’s home in Busiu and Edmond Mukhonde of Busano who assisted in the capture  of Brig. Smith Opon Acak

The late General (RO023) Elly Tumwinne who discharged the premier bullet when the National Resistance Army attacked Kabamba Military Academy on 6^th/02/1981 at 1:00AM once told me while at Kimaka-the Jinja Based Senior Command and Staff College in 2004  that the young Museveni had discovered that Bagisu (Bamasaaba) had prosperity through  Arabica coffee pounds hence they were very influential and yet Bugisu has many easy  escape routes through Lwakhakha with buses owned by an Asian whose daughter was  married to a black man in Buloli village in present day Bududa District.

They used some  of those buses to relay rebel secrets to comrades in Kenya and Tanzania. Then there is Suam border on the northern side, Malaba and Busia border points.

Another  General, Comrade Kale Kayihura former IGP told me that “ Front For National Salvation  (FRONASA) had vested interests in Bugisu due to then people cohesion, secretive  inhabitants of the time and that Bagisu were king makers from the time of Uganda’s  independence.”

They (Bagisu) were not only king makers of the time but they also knew  how to protect, defend and appeared very loyal to regimes and their leaders.

General  Kayihura went on to say that there is a belief in Kampala up to now “until votes from  Bugisu are fully counted and tallied, one cannot be sure of national electoral victory”.

Personally I would think that Bagisu would have this as a comparative advantage to bargain with the State for what is due to them.

Ben Kiwanuka, the first chief minister of Uganda having been a Counsel, hesitated to hand  Mbale Municipality (now city) to Bagisu because there was an earlier report compiled by  a white man sitting at Nabumali High School because he was a friend of the then white  Head Teacher that had recommended that the town belonged to Bukedi District.

Ben  Kiwanuka was punished harshly by Bagisu by denying him votes. Dr. Apollo Milton Obote  was naturally truthful, reliable and bold and so when he came to Bugisu for campaigns after Ben Kiwanuka had left, the Bagisu asked him only one question “Are you giving us  our town, Mbale?, you answer only that one question and walk down the podium.” Obote looked up the sky as if consulting the Almighty God and said “do the voting and Mbale town is yours, the Bagisu.”

They loved Obote to the marrow because of that one thing but  also Obote before he was over thrown by Idi Amin, had promised to shift the capital city to Mbale and we believe that in so doing we would now be having a Public University, an  Airport and probably a huge inland port because we are nearest to Mombasa port in Kenya and we don’t see why Mbale businessmen and women should follow merchandise that  passes here to Kampala.

The Bagisu as said above, concealed, nurtured, grew, secured,  supported and catered for the youthful Museveni of the 60s and 70s.

Many Ugandans don’t remember that dramatic capture of the late Brigadier General Smith Opon Acak former Chief Of Staff (CoS) in Obote II government by ordinary civilians, young NRM  political cadres of the time and a few ex-soldiers from Bududa District while the former  had been abandoned by his allies who had led him from Kenya to inspect “rebels’ camps” in then Mt. Elgon Forest Reserve and was marching alone along Bududa-Mbale Road.

So in our intelligence and security research that we are doing, we are asking and looking for  answers to the following questions.

1. Where did the cohesion of Bamasaba of the 60s go?
2. Where did the hard-nosed Bugisu negotiators, the level of Masette Kuuya disappear to?
3. Where did these caucuses of greedy schemers called leaders in Bugisu come from?
4. Why have the people of Bugisu; given the above risky contributions and loss of their loved ones not been fully, correspondingly and satisfactorily reciprocated (rewarded)?

Among the prominent lost Bugisu human resource are, Busawule – The former Head  Teacher Mbale Secondary School, Bishop Wasike, Sabastian Namilundu, W.W  Wepukhulu, Waisi, Nandala, Abner Wangwe, Bukuwa, Nalyanya, Joshua Wakholi,  Masanga, Abbas, Zaddock Nataka , Capt. Tom Masaba, Perez Musamali, Eliya  Watyekyele, Mwesiga Martin, Wahu Walid Kazimoto and many others.

There is urgent need and necessity for the cultural institution under the Uwelukoosi Jude  Mike Mudoma to collaborate with the state and more especially the Head of State and head  of government Gen. Yoweri Museveni to arrange a powerful dialogue in Mbale City so that  we can harmoniously review our relationship with a former young friend to see where went  wrong with the president so that we are able to reconnect and that the president can  handsomely reward us.

Nabendeh S.P. Wamoto is a commentator on political and other affairs.