AFRICA: Why Museveni abandoned support for Kenya's FERA rebel army

WHY MUSEVENI ABANDONED SUPPORT FOR KENYA'S FERA REBEL ARMY

CHANGE OF GUARDS - When Museveni came to power in 1986, Kenya was the first victim of his regional military aggression. Kenya was suspicious of Museveni’s association with Gadaffi and Museveni’s links with the communist block. With the insurgency in the north and northeastern Uganda, about 2000 Ugandan refugees fled to Kenya. Ugandan dissidents based in Kenya carried out attacks on Local Council officials in the areas of Busia and Tororo. Dissident groups like FOBA and individuals like Aggrey Awori were identified by the Kampala regime as being behind the attacks.

Museveni amassed troops along the border and around December 1987 the tensions escalated into a three days military confrontation. Uganda troops overpowered Kenya Police and GSU and attacked Adongosi police station, two kms inside Kenya from Busia border post. Consequently, Uganda’s trade, transport and communication links were temporarily disrupted. Uganda cut off electricity supply to Kenya. Kenya imprisoned and sentenced to nine years a Kenyan Journalist on charges of spying for Uganda. The standoff was resolved through talks between Museveni and Moi but it was not yet over.

In Early 1990s, Kenya accused Museveni of harbouring and facilitating the military training of Kenyan dissidents. Uganda hosted a Kenyan dissident, self styled Brig. John Steven Ochieng Amoke alias Brig. John Odong. Kenya alleged that he was the head of the rebel group, February Eighteenth Revolutionary Army (FERA). FERA derived its name from February 18th 1957 when independence freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi was hanged at Kamiti Prison. Indeed Odong had been a state guest in Kampala handled by the then Deputy chief of Military Intelligence, Aronda Nyakairima.

Kenya went ahead to allege that with Uganda’s assistance, over 1,000 Kenyans had had military training in both Libya and the then SPLA controlled territory in Southern Sudan. Museveni turned down Kenya’s request to have Brig. Odong extradited to Kenya to stand trial. Museveni cited international law since Odong was a recognised refugee. Note: If it had been now, under the EAC and in particular the Coalition of the Willing (COWI) and its defence and security pact, he would just hand over the victim to be slaughtered.

Museveni went ahead to claim that he had personally known John Odong since 1972. Twenty Kenyans were charged with treason related to FERA and sentenced to ten years imprisonment. The tension was put down by relocating John Odong to Ghana. It is a fact that Museveni had zeroed in on John Odong after a prominent politician, Kijana Wa Wamalwa proved incapable while Railla Odinga refused straight away.

In August 1993, former Obote II Cabinet Minister and Deputy Director of NASA, Amon Baziira was gunned down along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway. It is said that he was on his way from meeting President Moi at Eldoret State Lodge. Baziira had fled to Kenya after putting in place an armed rebel group, NALU around the Congo side of the Rwenzori mountain. Baziira who hailed from Kasese is suspected to have been gunned down by Uganda’s ESO agents under Kahinda Otafiire who was its Director General at the time. It was around the same time that Lt. Col. Ronald Kawuma was deployed by ESO to infiltrate suspected dissident groups based in Kenya. However, after Kawuma publicly declared war against Museveni he was arrested and incarcerated in the Makindye dungeons from where he died.

Museveni’s military adventures in Rwanda and the Congo helped to redirect his focus from Kenya. From the experience in Rwanda and Congo, Museveni came up with the idea of securing a regional security alliance through the revival of the defunct East African Community (EAC).
Museveni saw a regional integration as a strategic security measure against his political opponents establishing bases in neighboring countries. He also saw it as an opportunity for him to become the leader of the EAC political federation. That is partly why he has continued to hold onto power in Uganda.

At home he was facing an armed rebellion from the predominantly Luo ethnic group whom he had dislodged from power a decade ago.
He had been engaged with the South Sudanese SPLA so as to detach it from its Luo cousins of Northern Uganda. Kenya’s Western region has a number of ethnic communities whose populations are a spillover from Uganda -the Luo, Luhya, Kalenjin, Iteso etc. In 2007 a prominent Luo, Raila Odinga contested for the Presidency in Kenya. Fearing a Luo victory in Kenya for the above stated reasons, Museveni favoured Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu.

During the bloody election violence, the section of the Uganda Railway in Raila Odinga’s constituency was uprooted by angry mobs in protest for Museveni’s alleged involvement in elections. Raila Odinga had called in during a live radio talk show, KFM in Kampala and alleged that Ugandan troops were sighted in Kisumu, Eldoret and the other border areas. It was also alleged that Kenyan residents of Malaba had intercepted a lorry full of Uganda army uniforms destined for Kenya.
Uganda bound goods trucks were attacked thus paralysing flow of essential commodities like fuel and other goods into Uganda. Uganda denied its involvement but recently Gen. Ssejusa confirmed that Museveni had sent security forces into Kenya during the 2007 election violence. Later, at Mweya, Museveni admitted his role thus; “Recently there was election in one country. As usual, some people wanted to reject results and cause trouble. Someone who knew our experience in dealing with trouble makers approached us and we rented them equipment. We helped them.”

Brig. John Odong died a destitute in Kinshasha in 2004. Museveni had forgotten all about him and his FERA rebel outfit.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM