How Archbishop Janani Luwum murder forced many Ugandans in droves to Kenya

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OPINION

By Dr John W Bahana (PhD)

The recently celebrated public holiday honouring Archbishop Janani Luwum and the remembrance days of the past week carry connotations of upheaval in the Ugandan nation. The cerebrations have rushed memories that I wish to share with New Vision readers, largely for its historical and factual context, but also as a witness and victim.

When Janani Luwum was murdered on February 16, 1977, at the hands of Dictator Idi Amin, some notable eye witnesses say, actually shot by Amin himself, his killing generated a huge wave of Ugandans moving into exile that no doubt highly accelerated the ouster of the Amin military regime, two years later in 1979.

The Amin regime lasted for an unforgettable nine-year period in all aspects of the political and social life of our nation. His rule is severally described by historians, journalists, and academic analysts as one of the most brutal in modern recorded African history; the butcher of Uganda, totalitarian dictator of African history, and more.

The Amin brutality that had started with his military coup of January 25, 1971, hit its apex when he murdered the head of the Anglican Church in Uganda, which, at the time, was estimated at 30% of the total population, below the Catholics at 42%. In fact, Archbishop Luwum was also the head of the church in Rwanda, Burundi and Boga Zaire (in DRC).

These facts did not matter or deter Idi Amin from an act that shocked the world and generated waves of disbelief in Ugandans, mostly and in neighbouring countries. Amin had previously murdered enough Ugandans not to feel any sense of human shame. He is a man who paraded a former minister of information, Alex Ojera, in almost naked state before media cameras at present day Sheraton Hotel and announced to all and sundry that the former minister had been caught in guerrilla activities. Alex Ojera had always been known and seen in highly smart suits.

But, here he was, visibly with bleeding wounds and not allowed to say a word, at least to say goodbye to his family and now accused of insurgency. That picture is permanently engraved in my memory and sends tears that are difficult to resist. I wish, hope and request that the Acholi sub region to name a public institution, street or whatever in the name of Alex Ojera. I shall be there to sign the memorial plaque.

Back to the Luwum murder. Many Ugandans responded in an unbelievable but clearly not coordinated in any manner to think of. There were those who felt their lives threatened, then ones who were disgusted at the action of a government that was expected to protect the lives of citizens, now going totally bare-knuckled to kill religious leaders, the economic doldrums that had hit the country, leaving shops totally empty of all essential commodities including salt, sugar and beer of course, never mind church wine. Many Ugandans now started leaving the country, destined for Kenya and beyond.

In Kenya, some of these Ugandans registered as refugees and were sent to camps. The Ministry of Education in Nairobi was more than happy to take up young Ugandans who were teachers, sending them to the most remote of places that Kenyan nationals could not accept postings. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) easily extended scholarships to qualified young Ugandans to enter the University of Nairobi and German universities and elsewhere.

We entered Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, and smaller Kenyan towns, all with our heads high, not ashamed of our being Ugandans but running or hiding the exile's name tag. Kenyans, to all our admirations were so amazingly accommodating of our “intrusion”. They felt like the Amin victims themselves. The University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University had the largest number of Ugandan academic exiles. For purposes of privacy, I cannot name all of them here. But it is a disservice to historical records, not to mention a few.  Some of these names would later go underground to join the resistance against dictator Amin.

Here are some of the prominent names. This short list demonstrates the broadest of experiences of Ugandans that the country could not utilise for decades because of insecurity rained on their country by the Amin dictatorship. I cannot avoid writing about it.

Kenya was a beneficiary of the professionalism of the Ugandans in this short list, among hundreds of others that I can only share here. Professors Ephraim Kamuntu, late Prof. Daudi Basiime, at Kabete, and late Professor Karuhize, at Chiromo, who had earlier trained in top German Universities but could not return to Uganda. Professor Badru Kateregga and others at Kenyatta University.

There were also top scientists and technicians, including the late Bizoza, at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, which also had in senior management Dr Luka Abe, Prof John Okedi, Dr John Kaddu, Dr Waladde and many other notables. There was the late George Mpimbaza and Dr Rurangirwa at the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD). At the East African Publishing House, we had late Kayonde Oine and Richard Ntiru at the top management of publishing books and related material that circulated throughout East Africa. Godfrey Sabiti at UNHCR, a son of a former Archbishop of Uganda, was instrumental in helping Ugandans attain refugee status in Kenya.

In business, we had no other than Shem Bageine, later a Ugandan minister, who played a highly secretive coordinating role in a network to mobilise Ugandans against Amin.

Ugandans hit the social scene with the former “The Cranes Band” that was most popular for teenagers in the early 1970s, playing at the high-profile spots, including City Square, with late Philly Lutaaya in the lead before he moved to Sweden. Ugandans dominated Starlight Night Club, whose manager was previously at Kampala’s namesake. Hence, Ugandan style and our music compositions started being adopted by Kenyans.

But we also hit sports clubs where you often found Edward Sempebwa as an umpire at Nairobi and Parklands Tennis Clubs. Here were late Engineer, former MP, Arsen Mbonye, Dr Ben Mbonye, and Prof Nsanze.

I must, of course, not forget our half. Social spots were dominated by Ugandan girls showing Kenyan counterparts how to conduct diplomacy in hooking and fishing. These were young Ugandan girls that the Amin regime had inadvertently sent into exile to conduct business of economic survival. These young girls included victims of state security organs that would have murdered their key relatives, or had to escape sex advances that they detested. They were largely Baganda and Western Uganda young girls who were invariably victims of the highly Nubian secret and army services of the Amin regime.

They were highly sought after, not only by their exiled Ugandans but also by tourists and Kenyans. They traversed Kenya from Malaba to Mombasa in the practice of their trade. These girls were highly educated. You often found them scanning the Daily Nation Shipping news in search of arrivals of US Naval ships. When the ships arrived in Mombasa, our girls would be scarce in Nairobi. They would have gone to meet US soldiers.

Hotels in Nairobi top of which were: Hilton, 680, Serena, New Stanley Hotel, the Norfolk, Hotel Ambassador, and others. It was easily noticeable that high-profile Kenyans would not socialise in these hotels, apparently from discriminatory colonial days. Slowly, picking lessons from Ugandans, started gaining confidence to patronise the high-end hotels.

At Wetlands, you couldn’t miss Semei Nyanzi, the icon of the most powerful Uganda Development Corporation, UDC, which oversaw huge government parastatals in the 1960s. Late Nyanzi had been sacked by Amin and thereafter ran into exile. His sin was to receive, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, a tractor from the German Ambassador.

Here, you also found in the same company, Salvatore Olwoc, General Manager of Agriculture Enterprises Limited, a subsidiary of UDC with tea estates in many parts of the country. The late Olwoc had run into exile, first staying with me at Kawanda Research Station in hiding for a few days. We were together again, but free from fear of the Amin thugs.

Exiled Ugandans in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa were admired as hard workers in all fields in which they were employed. When I moved to Tanzania and Zambia, Ugandan exiles were highly secretive, and I only met my former university colleagues. But in Botswana and Lesotho, my next exile destination, there were many Ugandans at the new University of Botswana and the University of Lesotho, respectively. Mentioning just a few, there were Dr Kajibwami and Dr Mulindwa. In the mountainous Kingdom of Lesotho, there were many young Ugandans teaching in schools.

Elsewhere in the country, there was Dr Mwanje at the University of Lesotho, Dr Sam Zaramba, Consultant at the Ministry of Health, and Peter Kabatsi, at Law Development Centre, both in the capital, Maseru. All these have since returned to Uganda to try and rebuild their lives and contribute to our lovely country.

The Luwum murder, in no doubt, had far-reaching implications, including contributions to regional economies, but more importantly, the downfall of the murderer Amin himself for him to die far from home, in exile in Saudi Arabia.

The writer is a scientist and author: His autobiography, titled: Survival of the Fittest can be found in Aristoc Bookshop