LIBERATION DAY: January 23, 1986, City wakes up to heavy artillery

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Fighting rages 

The National Resistance Movement Government came to power in 1986. In the run-up to Liberation Day on January 26, New Vision brings you a four-part series on the battle for Kampala. 

In the third part of the story, Joshua Kato continues his exposition of the last week before the capital city was captured. 

Fighting raged in the outskirts of the city. However, most of the city centre, the eastern and northern parts were still safe. Then at around 6:00am on January 23, all hell broke loose. 

The fierce artillery duels that started on the morning of Wednesday, January 23, carried on into the early hours of January 24, which is exactly 38 years ago. 

Some of the shells hit the wide papyrus cover of River Lubigi, but this did not have any big impact on the National Resistance Army (NRA) fighters. Government forces using a BM-21, 120mm mortars, a 14.5mm gun and 37mm gun positioned on Kololo hill fired towards Rubaga, Lubigi and Busega in Kampala – areas that had been captured by the NRA. 

Lt Mohammed Ssekamatte, who was operating mortars during the capture of Kampala, says most of the residents of Nateete, a suburb of Kampala, had left for safer areas of the city in anticipation of a very big battle coming the next day. 

“I moved to a friend’s place in Mukono as soon as the big guns started firing on Wednesday,” Anatoli Mugwanya says. “But others stayed and waited for whatever comes,” he says.

Government forces command  

The military junta soldiers were commanded by a collection of officers – some of whom previously belonged to the Uganda Army as well as the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). 

Others belonged to Federal Democratic Movement (FEDEMU) and even had some command responsibilities. 

Military junta commanders in Kampala included Col Eric Odwar, who commanded the force on Kololo summit view; Col John Kilama, who was in charge of the forces in the centre of Kampala and Col Obonyo, who commanded the force guarding Entebbe airport. 

Although the NRA had been gradually building up an artillery unit, they still did not have enough heavy weapons to match the military junta’s arsenal. 

Under the general command of the late Maj. Gen. Kasirye Gwanga and the late Col Steven Rwamukaaga, who had joined the NRA around 1985, the NRA had stocked mainly 14mm guns, 23mm AAs, 37mm AAs, medium and long-range mortars. 

It was this NRA artillery unit that took on the might of the military junta’s big guns including the BM-21 multiple rocket launchers (Katyusa), 120mms and medium artillery that was positioned on Kololo hill in the last days of the war. 

On the small arms, however, the NRA had stocked tens of 12.5mm heavy machine guns, commonly referred to as nabisojo, rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and rifles. 

Order of battle January 24 

The main NRA force included a number of battalions, that is, the 1st under Fred Mugisha, 3rd under Patrick Lumumba, 7th under Matayo Kyaligonza and 11th under Chefi Ali. 

They were all poised to attack the city along the lines of where the current Entebbe Expressway crosses Masaka Road. Ahmed Kashillingi’s 5th Battalion was already holding a blocking role of Entebbe Road around Kisubi. 

On January 24, the now deceased Maj. Gen. Kasirye’s artillery pieces around Mutundwe hill continued with the duel with UNLA on Kololo summit view. 

Kasirye also had commander Steven Rwamukaga and commander Mugarura as the other NRA artillery unit commanders. 

“They were firing wildly towards the swamp, but with no serious impact,” Kasirye Gwanga told this journalist. “We did not waste our armour on them. We knew they would be defeated,” Kasirye said. 

The forces attacking through Busega expected the military junta to put up a fierce defence at the current Busega roundabout. 

The roundabout offered an easily defensible position by positioning heavy machine guns facing the main approach from Kyengera and the surrounding swamp. 

Indeed, the government forces had several GPMGs positioned in the centre of the junction, plus a 14.5mm gun where the fish market at Busega sits today. 

They abandoned this gun as they withdrew. In the morning of January 24, a Bell helicopter dropped bombs around the swamp to try and scare off the NRA. 

“The chopper came again and again. We fired at it with all calibres of guns and it flew back,” Ssekamatte remembers. In addition to engaging government artillery at Kololo, Kasirye’s guns also hit government forces that had dug in around Busega and Nateete, on the outskirts of Kampala. 

With this continued shelling of their positions, the government forces expected an NRA attack any time. This is why when darkness fell on January 23, they withdrew. On January 24, late in the evening, the NRA sent a ‘prodding’ unit around Busega and were surprised to find it defenceless. 

“Our fighters fired in the air and there was no reply, then we decided to kusonga mbele (advance),” Kasirye said. On the other side of the frontline, Nansana was overwhelmed in a hail of bullets. 

“Bwebalumba Nansana amasasi gayiika ngenkuba (loosely translated as: When the NRA attacked Nansana, the bullets flying were akin to rain hitting the roofs),” said Moses Ssekibengo, a resident of Kazo then. 

This force was poised just north of Lubigi bridge by the morning of January 24. Again, just like the case was with Busega, the NRA expected the city defenders to set up defensive positions covering the Hoima Road approaches. 

Further north around Matugga, another unit – the 13th Battalion — was set to attack after blocking Bombo Road. With the Busega defenders defeated, Patrick Lumumba and Mugisha’s units ran through Nateete, with their main objective to sit on Rubaga hill by night fall of January 24. 

“We had spent the last two days expecting a big battle. However, at around midnight on January 23, we had vehicles driving away. When we woke up in the morning, government soldiers had left, leaving behind some of their guns,” Christine Ndagire, who lived at Nateete (opposite the area’s Police station), said. 

By sitting on Rubaga hill, the first and second battalions had a good view of the Lubiri Barracks, just over two miles to the north. Other than a short skirmish on Rubaga Road — Ndeeba junction, they did not face serious resistance. 

However, according to Kasirye, the NRA incurred one major casualty and one of someone he will never forget. “Comrade Ssabatta bamutira awo mu Ndeeba (Comrade Sabatta was killed in Ndeeba).” 

Ssabatta was one of the fighters who had defected from Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) to join the NRA. He had already proven himself as a good fearless fighter. 
By night fall, exactly 38 years ago, forward NRA units that comprised the 1st and 3rd battalions were mightily poised around Rubaga, waiting for the attack on Lubiri Barracks. 

The 7th Battalion had skirted around and occupied Kibuye roundabout waiting to attack Makindye Barracks. 

The 11th Battalion under Chefi Ali had cleared Nakulabye and was poised around the junction on Makerere Hill Road, waiting to move through Makerere and Bat Valley, en route Kololo Summit View, the next day. 

The main objective of attacking Kololo was to capture and silence the big guns.