He was one of Uganda's best paratroopers
Aug 14, 2009
“One of the best paratroopers that Uganda has had,†is how someone described Brig. Dusman Sabuni, who was trained in Israel.
By Anne Mugisa
“One of the best paratroopers that Uganda has had,†is how someone described Brig. Dusman Sabuni, who was trained in Israel.
Those who interacted with him said Sabuni was a very disciplined officer and one of the very best the country has had.
May be the discipline could be attributed to the fact that he was fathered by a Commissioner of Police, also called Dusman Sabuni. The Police Force was the epitome of discipline then, and it naturally followed that the officers’ progeny would be brought up in that discipline.
He was in Gulu High School for his secondary education, which he completed in 1967.
While in school, Sabuni distinguished himself as an astute footballer, that he was always on the school team. He also played in the regional matches. It is said that at one time he played in the national team
After his Senior Six, Sabuni, a Nubian from Lira, joined the army in 1968 and went straight for training in Moroto as a cadet officer.
He then went to the prestigious Sandhurst Military Institute in Britain, believed to be the biggest and best in the world.
He rose through the ranks to become a Brigadier by the time Amin’s regime was overthrown in 1979.
“If he was involved in any of the excesses that were attributed to Amin’s regime, nobody ever pointed a finger at him,†one man identified as John said.
At one time, Sabuni was appointed commanding officer of the Paratroopers Military School that was based at Lubiri. When President Idi Amin was still on good terms with Israel, Sabuni was one of the army officers sent there for military training.
In Israel, he pursued a paratroopers’ course. Amin himself was trained in Israel. It is believed the Israeli commando who humiliated him during the 90 minutes raid at Entebbe to rescue Jewish hostages held there, had been his (Amin’s) coursemates.
In the 1970s, Sabuni married a daughter of Theresa Mbiire, currently one of Uganda’s richest women entrepreneurs. They had three children, all of whom are currently living in Kampala.
Amin appointed Brig. Sabuni trade and tourism minister. Commodities were scarce at that time and things like textiles were given to people by allocation.
Though less is known about his mother’s life and death, Sabuni’s father was killed by the UNLA soldiers in 1980.
When the Tanzanian troops brought Amin’s regime down, Sabuni fled to Kenya where he was arrested.
He was detained and later deported to Uganda, where he was tried for allegedly breaking into and looting the government owned African Textile Mills in Mbale.
After his acquittal, Sabuni returned to Kenya, where he lived with his family. It is said that while in Kenya, Sabuni also married a close relative of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.
The family is said to have lived in Mombassa, where Sabuni died after a stroke in 2000.
“One of the best paratroopers that Uganda has had,†is how someone described Brig. Dusman Sabuni, who was trained in Israel.
Those who interacted with him said Sabuni was a very disciplined officer and one of the very best the country has had.
May be the discipline could be attributed to the fact that he was fathered by a Commissioner of Police, also called Dusman Sabuni. The Police Force was the epitome of discipline then, and it naturally followed that the officers’ progeny would be brought up in that discipline.
He was in Gulu High School for his secondary education, which he completed in 1967.
While in school, Sabuni distinguished himself as an astute footballer, that he was always on the school team. He also played in the regional matches. It is said that at one time he played in the national team
After his Senior Six, Sabuni, a Nubian from Lira, joined the army in 1968 and went straight for training in Moroto as a cadet officer.
He then went to the prestigious Sandhurst Military Institute in Britain, believed to be the biggest and best in the world.
He rose through the ranks to become a Brigadier by the time Amin’s regime was overthrown in 1979.
“If he was involved in any of the excesses that were attributed to Amin’s regime, nobody ever pointed a finger at him,†one man identified as John said.
At one time, Sabuni was appointed commanding officer of the Paratroopers Military School that was based at Lubiri. When President Idi Amin was still on good terms with Israel, Sabuni was one of the army officers sent there for military training.
In Israel, he pursued a paratroopers’ course. Amin himself was trained in Israel. It is believed the Israeli commando who humiliated him during the 90 minutes raid at Entebbe to rescue Jewish hostages held there, had been his (Amin’s) coursemates.
In the 1970s, Sabuni married a daughter of Theresa Mbiire, currently one of Uganda’s richest women entrepreneurs. They had three children, all of whom are currently living in Kampala.
Amin appointed Brig. Sabuni trade and tourism minister. Commodities were scarce at that time and things like textiles were given to people by allocation.
Though less is known about his mother’s life and death, Sabuni’s father was killed by the UNLA soldiers in 1980.
When the Tanzanian troops brought Amin’s regime down, Sabuni fled to Kenya where he was arrested.
He was detained and later deported to Uganda, where he was tried for allegedly breaking into and looting the government owned African Textile Mills in Mbale.
After his acquittal, Sabuni returned to Kenya, where he lived with his family. It is said that while in Kenya, Sabuni also married a close relative of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.
The family is said to have lived in Mombassa, where Sabuni died after a stroke in 2000.