By CHANGE OF GUARDS
When Gen. Idi Amin overthrew Dr. Milton Obote and his UPC government on January 25, 1971, Obote, who had gone to Singapore, flew back to Nairobi from where he connected to Tanzania. A number of UPC party functionaries in public service and the security services fled to Tanzania. That is how people like Lt. Col. Tito Okello, Capt. Oyite Ojok and Yoweri Museveni found themselves in Tanzania just a day after the coup. Tanzania, which had refused to recognize the Idi Amin takeover, offered to support any efforts that would return the UPC government and Obote, in particular, to power. It is reported that some other people were intercepted while they attempted to cross to Tanzania for military training.
Around March 1971, Obote travelled from Tanzania to Sudan with a team of his assistants where he secured training facilities for a rebel force that would overthrow the Idi Amin regime. At the time, Khartoum was battling southern Sudan rebels who were being supported by Israel and others with the help of IDI Amin. Sudan offered a training facility at Owing Kibul, South of Juba, before facilitating his assistants to cross into Uganda for recruitment missions. They would enter Uganda on busy market days at Oraba border that brought together people from Zaire, Southern Sudan and Uganda. From Oraba border, they would travel to West Nile, Northern Uganda, Teso and and Masindi where they would be received by local UPC leaders. Acting on Obote's written instructions, the local UPC leaders would clandestinely recruit young boys and facilitate their travel to Sudan undetected. Interestingly, the UPC leaders in West Nile region, which was Idi Amin's home area, played a key role in the safe exit of the recruits from the Uganda territory to Sudan. During the first trip, a total of 700 recruits were successfully secured and ferried across the border and all of Obote's Assistants who had been on the recruitment mission safely returned to Sudan.
Once at Owing Kibul camp, the recruits embarked on training and subsistence agriculture. The presence of Owing Kibul camp opened the way for many Acholi and Langi army officers to leave Uganda for Sudan. From Khartoum, Obote regularly visited the fighters at Owing Kibul. His request to infiltrate these fighters with arms back into Uganda for clandestine operations in their respective home areas was out rightly rejected by Sudan. In May 1972, with mediation of Ethiopia, Khartoum and the southern rebels, reached an agreement for a ceasefire. Sudan wanted Obote's men to vacate the Owiny Kibul camp which was to be used as the assembly point for the surrendering southern Sudan rebels. Obote contacted Nyerere in Tanzania over the new development, Nyerere immediately sent Obote an emissary with an offer to move the fighters to Tanzania. Sudan offered transport for the fighters from Owing Kibul to Khartoum and a ship from Port Said on the Red Sea to Tanga in Tanzania. After overseeing all the 743 men board the ship, Obote flew to Tanzania in June 1972. The journey to Tanga proved disastrous when almost all the fighters fell sick from Meningitis. The ship had been used to ferry cattle to Eden. A good number died and were buried at sea, and those who made it to Tanga had to immediately get vigorous health attention. A camp was set up at Handeni in Tanga where the fighters embarked on a new life.
Meanwhile, as Obote had been away in Sudan, among his people in Tanzania was an ambitious young man named Yoweri Museveni who had earlier served under Obote's intelligence services as a Research Assistant In Charge of Records, who sought to run a parallel group of fighters. Museveni enjoyed an advantage amongst the Tanzanian government officials since he had attended University in Tanzania a few years earlier. He had succeeded in decampaigning Dr. Obote as being unpopular in Uganda. Museveni had sneaked into Uganda and attempted to set up clandestine cells and a camp of anti-Idi Amin fighters around Mount Egon with the help of the likes of Jack Maumbe Mukhwana, Ndiwa Chemaswet, Rait Omongin, Magode Ikuya and others. Museveni's Mt. Elgon camp drew recruits from around Bukedi and other Mt. Elgon regions. In August 1971, the camp in Mt. Elgon was smashed by the government security forces before its 30 fighters were relocated to Tanzania where they were sent for military training alongside the FRELIMO fighters in Nachingwea southern Tanzania. Museveni had managed to convince the government of Tanzania that he could raise a force within Uganda who, with minimal external assistance, would be able to overthrow the Idi Amin regime.
In August 1972, Nyerere told Obote that Tanzania's intelligence services had been helping Museveni to ferry arms to Uganda for Museveni's 1,000 fighters, allegedly based in areas of Jinja, Masaka and Mbarara inside Uganda. Nyerere went ahead to introduce the idea of Ugandan exiled fighters invading Uganda through Mutukula where they would be reinforced by Museveni's men inside Uganda. Dr. Obote doubted the report but promised to cross-check the same information. Through wide telephone consultations with his (Obote) UPC leaders in the mentioned areas, the information was refuted. When Dr. Obote reported back to Nyerere, the latter was adamant and simply said;
"Milton, we can't miss this opportunity to hit Idi Amin. There will be no other opportunity."
In August 1972, Idi Amin had announced the expulsion of Asians from Uganda and the situation was kind of tense.
The plan was to fly some 100 fighters to Entebbe Airport using an East African Airways aircraft. The bulk of the fighters were to invade through the Tanzanian -Uganda border so as to overrun Mbarara and Masaka. Dr. Obote identified an East African Airways Pilot, a one Captain Lalobo, who would fly the DC 9 aircraft that plied the Entebbe - Nairobi - Dar Es Salaam route. Obote's fighters from Handeni were ferried to the assembly point in Kagera region where they were joined by about 300 other half baked that were mobilized. The 100 men under the command of Capt. Oyite Ojok who were supposed to take off from Arusha Airport to Entebbe on September 17 could not because the plane developed mechanical faults as it landed at Arusha and the plan was called off. With this development, the ground invasion was slightly delayed for a few days. A total of about 1,300 Uganda fighters, at the Assembly Point, were placed in tow groups. The main group comprising and commanded by Tito Okello and deputized by Oyite Ojok was assigned the Mutukula - Kyotera route with the objective of overrunning the Masaka Barracks. The smaller group, of about 330 fighters, commanded by Capt. Ayile and deputized by Lt. Okot and comprised of among others Lt. Ageta, Lt. Okum and civilian Museveni who had about 40 of his fighters were assigned the Kyaka - Isingiro route with the objective of overrunning the Mbarara Barracks.
On the D-Day, the Tanzanian government facilitated the fighters with a fleet of trucks to ferry the fighters and promised to provide a back up of ground troops. The Tito Okello and Oyite Ojok led group overran the small force that was around Mutukula border capturing a few arms and military communication gadgets. This group proceeded to Kalisizo where it was halted by the then government reinforcements which included ground troops and air power. The promised backing by Tanzanian troops was nowhere to be seen. Even the Museveni fighters that were allegedly inside Uganda were nowhere to be seen. Upon withdraw, the fighters fell in ambush which left several killed and others captured.
On the Mbarara front, the Capt. Oyite and Lt. Okot led group managed to reach Mbarara Town but were met by heavy firepower from government troops outside the barracks. After being overpowered, they fled in disarray with many hiding in the homes of local people who handed them over to the government. Out of the 330 fighters on this axis, only 46 fighters and three trucks managed to return to Tanzania. Out of the 1,300 invading force, only 846 managed to safely withdraw to Tanzania. The Ugandan local people in the affected areas helped the government in rounding up the fighters who had not managed to return to Tanzania. Among the captives were former Minister Alex Ojera, Capt. Oyile and Picho Ali who were later publicly executed. It is alleged that it was against this background that during the 1978/79 war Mbarara and Masaka suffered retaliatory destruction.
Once the fighters had suffered a devastating defeat, upon withdraw to Tanzania they reorganized in Kagera and it is at this time that Museveni claims to have been promoted to the rank of Corporal by Lt. Ageta. After reorganisation, all the fighters were ferried to Tabora where they were required to live as refugees at Kigwa Camp. The majority of Obote fighters accepted to go to the camp but those of Museveni protested and ended up being detained at Tabora Police Station. Climbing on Ndiwa Chemaswet's shoulders, Museveni managed to jump over and sneak out of the confinement. Museveni was to return later to secure the release of his people before taking them to Dar Es Salaam where they were booked into different hotels with strict orders to leave Tanzania's soil in two weeks time. Within two weeks, the defiant fighters had melted with a few finding their way back into Uganda. During a secret meeting at Zubairi Bakari's residence, Museveni and his returned colleagues resolved to return to their respective home areas to embark on fresh recruitment of fighters.
Around early 1973, FRONASA was founded by publishing its manifesto and claiming it had 200 founding members. A training camp was set up in Bunya forest, present day Mayuge district. Hardly had the fighters settled down than the camp was attacked by government troops and destroyed. This particular attack coincided with the narrow escape of Museveni at Maumbe Mukhwana's house in Mbale town in January 1973 when some of his colleagues were killed. Consequently, nine other founding members of FRONASA were arrested from different parts of the country and publicly executed by firing squads in their respective home towns.
The Obote's fighters, who had settled at the remote Kigwa Camp in Tabora region, embarked on serious rebuilding of their lives from scratch. With no form of relief aid, the fighters under the able leadership of Bazilio Okello embarked on construction of makeshift shelters and cultivation of food crops. Tito Okello and Oyite Ojok were the only fighters staying in Dar Er Salaam city. Dr. Obote managed to convince the Tanzania Red Cross to supply his fighters with blankets but upon his visit to the camp, the blankets had not been delivered. By the end of 1973, the fighters in the camp had developed only the capacity to feed themselves. Dr. Obote again successfully lobbied the Tanzania Red Cross to drill and supply the camp with piped water whose source the fighters had miraculously discovered. Very soon, the fighters started selling the surplus of their yields to the local communities. They also embarked on charcoal burning from the neighboring Miombo Woodland to supplement their income.
In 1974, Dr. Obote selected 37 fighters, who had skills in carpentry, and assigned them to make motorized boats at Mwanza port on Lake Victoria. His plan had been to use these boats in the infiltration of fighters into Uganda. Meanwhile, pro-Obote fighters continued escaping from Uganda and more so the Acholi and Langi army officers and joining others in Tanzania. They had continued to escape through Sudan prompting Idi Amin to establish Chui Battalion based in Gulu. It is reported that at one point, hundreds of recruits from northern Uganda heading for Owing Kibul through Lokung in Kitgum were ambushed with the help of South Sudan security rebels and massacred. The owners of the convoy of lories that had been carrying these recruits were hunted down. In 1974, then Lt. John Ogole who had been the Adjutant of Chui Battalion, escaped to Tanzania as Iddi Amin publicly questioned why Acholi and Langi soldiers so much wanted to serve under the northern Uganda based Chui Battalion.
Meanwhile, Museveni and his FRONASA had become dormant though he had managed to send 40 - 50 cadres to the FRELIMO liberated Zone in northern Mozambique for military training. This group included the likes of Koreta, Saleh, Rwigyema, Cheffe Ali and a few others. After the training, these boys became redundant and were sheltered around Morogoro. Museveni had even taken up a teaching job at the Cooperative College in the northern Tanzania town of Moshi. When Iddi Amin invaded Tanzania in October 1978, Obote had gone to Zambia in search of guns. Nyerere summoned Obote back to Dar Es Salaam urgently. Obote flew back with a sizeable consignment of arms for his fighters. After the Tanzanian army had pushed the invaders back from its territory, Dr. Obote was incorporated into plans to oust the Amin regime.
In January 1979, Obote visited his fighters at the Kigwa camp but only to find that some 300 of his men had been taken away to Musoma for some mission he claimed was not party to. These 300 men were to become part of the group that was to take part in the raid across Lake Victoria that turned out disastrous. A total of 111 fighters perished when their boat was hit by a storm before it capsized on Lake Victoria. Following the disaster, a decision was made to form his fighters into a Special Force dubbed Kikosi Malum (KM) in Kiswahili. Obote's KM, under the command of the likes of Tito Okello, Oyite Ojok, Bazilio Okello, John Ogole, Zeddy Maruru and a couple of other senior army officers fought alongside the Tanzanians in the main battle of Mutukula - Kyotera, Masaka - Lukaya and Kampala. Museveni's 30 so-called FRONASA fighters also joined the war where they acted as scouts for Tanzania's 206 Brigade that took the Mbarara axis. Upon crossing the border in present day Isingiro District, Museveni, and his briefcase FRONASA, embarked on recruitment mostly from Banyarwanda and Banyankole ethnic groups.
As the war progressed, Obote despatched his civilian lieutenants like Paulo Muwanga, Sam Mugwisa, Edward Rurangaranga, Chris Rwakasisisi and others on political mobilisation of the masses alongside the fighters. Sam Odaka utilized the daily 45 program on Tanzania Broadcasting Service to broadcast liberation messages to Uganda. A tthe fall of Kampala, Oyite Ojok made the announcement on Radio Uganda after he had rung Obote in Tanzania to inform Obote about the fall of Kampala. Obote, in turn, drafted the message that Ojok had to read on Radio Uganda. Prof. Lule was made the President under the umbrella organisation, Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF). Obote remained in Tanzania and Museveni's FRONASA faction doubled its recruitment race to bolster its numbers.
By mid 1979, FRONASA had 9,000 fighters while KM had 10,000 fighters. During the merger of the two factions to form the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), Museveni's FRONASA contributed 4,000 fighters. The rest of FRONASA people either deserted or were rejected on account of being non citizens. However, Museveni kept them as his private army that was responsible for the insecurity in Kampala designed to discredit the KM faction. Museveni's power schemes suffered a setback when he was sacked from the position of Minister of Defence. To buy time for a showdown, he pretended to contest in the 1980 general elections. Hardly, a month later, he launched his sectarianism Bush War, taking with him a big number of his FRONASA faction. Attempts to revive his clandestine cells in eastern Uganda suffered a setback when his point man, Maumbe Mukwana was arrested and detained in luzira. The rebel camps that had been set up under the supervision of Wadada Musani in Bufumbo Sub County of Budadiri were smashed by UNLA's 20 Brigade under Col. Onyelo.
Museveni introduced the Kagera Medal but how many of Obote's KM fighters who crossed the Kagera River in the fight against Idi Amin were included? What about those Ugandans who perished in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Lake Victoria!!! According to him, it's only FRONASA that fought the Idi Amin regime.
The rest is history, but
INFORMATION IS POWER ABD THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM
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