Amin’s 1979 war still plagues Masaka

By Brian OurienTHE bigger part of Masaka district is quiet with activities taking place mostly at the town centre.Strongmen carrying cartons of goods and others pacing the wide verandas of the deteriorated street buildings create a lively atmosphere.The streets are almost too crowded. The main street is lined with sewing machines, watch repair stalls, shoe shiners, and idlers seated on wooden benches outside shops. Right opposite them is the taxi park, a dusty area where small taxis wait for passengers who board fast as though running away from the war ravaged town.The memory of war is still fresh in their minds. The ruins of the 1979 liberation war are clearly visible throughout Masaka. Buildings destroyed during the war have never been rebuilt and some of the busiest places have been abandoned, effectively rendering them to the memory of war.Kiiza Amooti, 52, says he understands the troubles of Masaka quite well. In a soft husky voice, he tells The New Vision about the war, which brought Masaka to where it is now.He was a soldier in the liberation army that ousted former president Idi Amin in 1979. “I was in the 15th battalion,” Kiiza says, lifting his head up proudly.He recalls with nostalgia, the night just before the attack that brought Masaka down. Kiiza prayed to God for protection, knowing very well that the battle for Masaka would not be an easy one. That night, sleep did not come easily. He turned restlessly on the jacket that was his mattress and waited patiently for dawn – for that is when the attack was to begin.Before twilight, Kiiza’s battalion captured Buchulo airfield and then headed for the town hall building and the Police station, which were being used as armouries.“Those buildings could not have been left standing. We had no alternative but to destroy them,” Kiiza says pensively.Kiiza’s battalion also destroyed two banks in Masaka and distributed the money to jubilating residents.That was in April 5. The next day saw Kiiza’s battalion taking over Lukaya and later Mpigi. A few days later, the government of Amin was overthrown on April 11.“Masaka was a beautiful town but we had to destroy it because there was a strong army here. We were purposeful and we decided that we were not going back,” the lean old man says.But since that time, Masaka has never regained her glory. The piles of rubble lie untouched, offering a perfect reminder that the past is to be held almost sacred.“It is not about keeping these sites for historical purposes,” says Severino Mukasa, a casual labourer in Masaka. “It is just because no one is interested in them. I don’t think Masaka is rich enough to rebuilt those buildings,” Mukasa says.It was only a matter of time for the healing of Masaka to be manifested in terms of development. Residents say that the people who have the money to invest prefer to do it in Kampala and other areas because they think Masaka is not a viable place for investment.The gloom conspicuously painted all over Masaka tells a sad story of a people itching to get out of the past. Humility has moulded them to think that nothing good could ever come out of Masaka.“It seems to have been handed down to this generation. No one ever thinks of changing the attitude of people towards the development of Masaka,” says David Nabala, general manager of Radio Equator. However, not all hope is lost. In less than six months, three FM radio stations have come up in Masaka and small businesses keep mushrooming everyday.Tropical Hotel, which was the biggest hotel in Masaka before the 1979 war, is now being rebuilt under new ownership. “The new hotel will undoubtedly begin on a good note –– the esteem in which the people held the old hotel.“It was such a beautiful hotel. There was no a better place to be in the whole Masaka,” says Mukasa.A casual walk through Masaka reveals enormous potential for social development. As the teenagers in the area dance away at the nearby Ambience Discotheque, the older people can cool the day off at a newly opened massage and sauna parlour, or better still, the homely Brovad hotel.“The people of Masaka have begun to open up and are now more enlightened,” says former Masaka Resident District Commissioner Rose Mutonyi Masaba. “The lives of people here have changed. They have even begun to advertise on local radio stations.”From a distance, Masaka is a ghost, dead and buried town in the rubble of the 1979 liberation war. Yet deep in the hearts and minds of the people of Masaka, is the indomitable resolve to bury their past - for good.ends