Most feared soldiers during Amin's govt

OUR HISTORY

By Muwonge C.W Magembe 

On December 19, 1969, President Milton Obote survived being assassinated by Mohammad Ssebadduka at Lugogo Indoor Stadium in Kampala. He was shot through the mouth on his right-hand side. 

His aides then rushed him to Mulago Hospital, where he was operated on by his best man, Dr Martin Aliker. 

Moments after the incident, some soldiers went to the home of the army commander, Maj. Gen. Idi Amin, in Kololo, hoping to brief him on what had happened to Obote. 

To their surprise, once Amin saw them arriving, he jumped over the perimeter fence and fled to Bombo over suspicion that they intended to arrest him. 

On his way to Bombo, Amin met Aggrey Awori in Wandegeya, a Kampala suburb and had a brief talk after which Awori instructed the driver of Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, Muwonge, to drive Amin to Bombo. For the hours Amin was in hiding in Bombo, his fellow patrons at Uganda Club in Kampala made fun of the way he fled from his home. 

They laughed, saying Amin was a coward, who fled in pyjamas. Although Amin was in hiding, he was briefed on how people were making fun of him at Uganda Club. And on the day he got out of his hideout, he donned his signature Air Force uniform, equipped himself with a Russian-made pistol and then went straight to Uganda Club, accompanied by six armed soldiers. 

The moment an angry gigantic Amin walked into the bar at Uganda Club, all the individuals present like Obote’s ministers, ambassadors and permanent secretaries, went mute. 

Amin then warned them at the top of his voice: “I heard all the silly things you said about me. Be reminded that I can decide to kill all of you, now.” Within a few minutes, after Amin made the warning, the bar became empty because all the persons fled. 

They obviously knew that Amin had the will and determination to kill them all if he so wished. Indeed, the following month (January 25, 1970), Amin sent his agents to Gulu and they murdered the deputy army commander, Brig. Pierino Okoya, and his wife, Anna. 

Amin did so because Okoya had proposed to Obote to investigate Amin over claims that he had a hand in his (Obote) attempted assassination at Lugogo. Besides, Okoya wanted Amin probed over alleged misuse of military funds. 

A year after murdering Okoya, Amin became the president of Uganda. And during his eight-year rule, he was accused of murdering famous individuals, such as Benedicto Kiwanuka (chief justice), Janani Luwum (archbishop) and former ministers Shaban Nkutu, William Kalema, Ali Kisekka, Fabian Okware, Alex Ojera and Basil Bataringaya.

Undeniably, Amin goes down into the annals of history as the most feared soldier Uganda has ever had. And during his rule, the following soldiers were also feared by their fellow soldiers and civilians.

Brig Hussein Malera 

By March 1974, a Sudanese named Hussein Malera was a brigadier in Uganda Army. He was the commanding officer of Makindye Military Barracks. 

He also acted as the army chief-of-staff when Brig. Charles Arube was on a six-month military course in Soviet Union in 1972. Malera became infamous for the executions he sanctioned at Makindye. About 97% of persons detained at Makindye barracks when Malera was its commandant were murdered like Frank Kalimuzo, former vice-chancellor of Makerere University. 

The few who survived his massacre are businessmen Prof. Gordon Wavamunno, Kintu Musoke, Chris Rwakasisi and Edward Rurangaranga. Malera’s notorious murders prompted Arube and other soldiers to stage a coup against Amin on March 23, 1974. 

They did not succeed and, therefore, Arube was murdered in the process. But the coup attempt forced Amin to expel Malera back to his home country, Sudan.

Maliyamungu

LT. Col. Juma Ali 

As a major, Juma Ali alias Butabika was once the company commander at Malire Mechanised Specialist Reconnaissance Regiment. When he rose to lieutenant colonel, he served as the second-in-command of Malire Mechanised Specialist Reconnaissance Regiment. Besides, he headed the military tribunal, which tried and sentenced to death individuals accused with Archbishop Luwum of plotting to overthrow Amin, such as Abdullah Anyuru and Ben Ongom in 1977.

Butabika executed several soldiers accused of coup attempts in 1974. He executed them at Bombo and also inside Bulange building, where his colleague Capt. Okello Safi had a wicked execution room.

Butabika was also involved in suppressing a demonstration staged by Makerere students over the state murder of Theresa Nanziri (sister of Katikkiro Charles Mayiga) in 1976. The students of the time included Kizza Besigye (doctor), David Tinyefuza (now Gen. Sejusa), Elly Tumwine (general), Mary Karooro Okurut and Nelson Kaweesa (now the reverend canon and former diocesan secretary of Namirembe) In the end, Butabika’s provocative actions forced the Tanzania army to invade Uganda in 1978 and toppled Amin on April 11, 1979.

Brig. Maliyamungu 

By October 23, 1977, Isaac Maliyamungu was a brigadier. And when Amin was appointing him to the aforesaid rank, he authorised him: “In case of external aggression from a hostile country, Brig. Maliyamungu in his capacity as General Staff Officer Class One, in charge of operations has full powers and should not wait for my permission or that of the vice-president or the army chief-of-staff to mobilise the army, air force and marines to destroy and silence enemy countries.” 

Maliyamungu was also much feared by civilians and soldiers too because killing was like food to him. In the early days of Amin’s rule, for example, Maliyamungu selectively executed the Acholi and Langi soldiers at Mbarara barracks. 

Their bodies were dumped at Mbarara Stock farm.

In 1977, he co-ordinated the arrest of Archbishop Luwum and two cabinet ministers, Erinayo Oryema and Charles Oboth Ofumbi, who were at last murdered. 

A few years to Amin’s fall, Maliyamungu became feared by Amin. That is why Amin declined to expel him from the military. The proposal to fire Maliyamungu was made to Amin by the leadership of counter-intelligence agency, State Research.

Muwonge C.W Magembe 

Brig Taban Rupai 

Brig. Taban Rupai Gama was a Sudanese, who was the commanding officer of the commando unit known as Marine in Bugolobi. Given the nature of the operations his unit carried out, Rupai was feared by soldiers and civilians as well. 

He was involved in the crushing of the anti-Amin mutinies and protests by Makerere University students. He returned to his homeland, Sudan, after the fall of Amin in 1979.

Col. Farouk Minawa 

Towards the fall of Amin, Farouk Minawa was a colonel, minister of internal affairs and head of State Research. Prior to heading the State Research, he deputised its then-head, Col. Francis Itabuka. But even then, he was doing most of its dirty work, especially executions and arrests. Amin trusted him more than Itabuka.

Minawa operated a dungeon at Nakasero, where his operatives like Kabugo and Malakwamala acted as executors. Besides Minawa, the leaders of State Research were Jackson Kyalikunda (adjutant), Simba Bigini (technical), Capt. Mzee Yosa (operations) and Abdullahtif (transport). 

In 1977, Minawa attempted to assassinate the vice-president, Gen. Mustafa Adrisi, who was suspected with Maliyamungu of plotting to overthrow Amin. Adrisi survived the staged motor accident in Mbalala on Jinja Road.

In the same year, when Maliyamungu got to know that Minawa advised Amin to sack him from the military, he (Maliyamungu) sent his agents to Iganga to kill Minawa. 
He was shot in the leg. He was then rushed for treatment in Libya. It was over that incident that the elusive Minawa walked with a limp. 

The writer/researcher, wrote a book, President Idi Amin: A Narrative of His Rule (1971- 1979). It costs sh100,000 at Uganda Bookshop in Kampala