How Kampala fell
Jan 22, 2010
<i>Excerpts from his book; <br>Uganda revolution 1979-1986</i><br><br>THE advance (to capture Kampala) had begun on 17th January and by 22 January we had half -encircled Kampala. While the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 11th Battalions from Mbarara led the frontal attack from the direction of Masaka, the 7th
BY PECOS KUTESA
Excerpts from his book;
Uganda revolution 1979-1986
THE advance (to capture Kampala) had begun on 17th January and by 22 January we had half -encircled Kampala. While the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 11th Battalions from Mbarara led the frontal attack from the direction of Masaka, the 7th Battalion was advancing from Hoima Road through Kakiri and had already reached Nansana. The defenders of Kampala with the help of Korean experts had positioned there artillery pieces on Summit View, one of the highest hills in Kampala.
On our part, Comrade Kasirye Gwanga who was in charge of our heavy artillery, positioned his weapons on top of Mutundwe hill. Mutundwe hill dominates Kampala. In fact when you are onto top of this hill, Kampala looks like a broadsheet map or a city seen from an airplane. Kampala is in the valley between the two hills; Summit view and Mutundwe.
The two major roads leading out of Kampala that is the Masaka - Mbarara highway and Mubende-Fort-Portal Road start at the the Busega round-about.
The UNLA (the government soldiers of the time) had placed anti-aircraft guns and other artillery pieces at this junction.
I experience raw fear
Our people say that the water pot usually breaks at the door steps. As I looked at Kampala and all its grandeur, I developed goose pimples immediately. I started shivering and running a fever. This was the sight of my long term goal which now appeared to be within my grasp. It ought to have increased the flow of my adrenaline. Instead I was developing goose pimples.
I told the chairman of the high command (Museveni) that I thought I was developing tuberculosis. To this day I tease myself as to why that malady was the first to come to mind. The CHC told me to stay at the tactical headquarters while my second-in- command Fred Mugisha continued (to lead my unit, the 1st Battalion).
We enter Kampala
We were in a meeting on the 24th of January when we received information that the enemy had withdrawn from the Busega roundabout without a fight. My ‘tuberculosis’ disappeared just as suddenly as it had started.
Our people advanced at high speed. The 1st Battalion now under Fred Mugisha advanced towards Republic House (Bulange) then the UNLA headquarters, while 3rd Battalion under Patrick Lumumba advanced on the Lubiri barracks.
In Kampala, civilians curiously watched this new group which had captured Kampala. Coups were not a new phenomenon to Kampala people. They were used to seeing one group of soldiers overthrow another group and announcing a new government, right from Amin’s 1971 coup through the 1979 coup led by Tanzanians to the 1985 coup of Lutwa. To them, ours was no different. They told us, “we warmly welcome you but now what new rules have you got for us? Should we show you good shops to loot from? †and things of that nature.
Furious combat
In the meantime, the battle at Lubiri was raging on. The most furious fight was at the Lubiri Barracks. Lubiri has a fortified wall. When Comrade Lumumba’s battalion stormed Lubiri, the enemy soldiers put up a determined defence. The combatants tried to scale the wall but it was hard so they besieged it and poured in grenades, bombs and sustained gun fire.
Meantime the 1st battalion had overrun the army headquarters at the Bulange and gone on to radio Uganda. The Okello junta and their cohorts put up a spirited defence of the radio but our people were more determined to capture power which, in Africa then, was symbolized by the capture of the national radio station.
While all this was going on, Commander Kasirye Gwanga kept the enemy’s heavy artillery occupied while our infantry soldiers climbed summit view on foot. The UNLA and their Korean experts never quite knew what hit them. With all their attention on Mutundwe hill they found themselves surrounded by infantry soldiers who told them to put their hands up. Although they say that all is fair in love and war, I think an artillery personnel feels betrayed when he is captured by a mere infantry soldier because in spite of his fire superiority, an infantryman is sticking the barrel of a small arm in his face and telling him to give up. That is what the 11th Battalion under Chefe Ali did to the UNLA artillery people.
There were other battles along Entebbe highway especially at Kitubulu but by the evening of the 25th, UNLA soldiers started surrendering to us. On the 26th, the troops who had surrendered numbered 900. The battle for Kampala had ended.Â
The writer was the Commander
of the 1st Battalion which led
NRA’s attack on Kampala
Excerpts from his book;
Uganda revolution 1979-1986
THE advance (to capture Kampala) had begun on 17th January and by 22 January we had half -encircled Kampala. While the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 11th Battalions from Mbarara led the frontal attack from the direction of Masaka, the 7th Battalion was advancing from Hoima Road through Kakiri and had already reached Nansana. The defenders of Kampala with the help of Korean experts had positioned there artillery pieces on Summit View, one of the highest hills in Kampala.
On our part, Comrade Kasirye Gwanga who was in charge of our heavy artillery, positioned his weapons on top of Mutundwe hill. Mutundwe hill dominates Kampala. In fact when you are onto top of this hill, Kampala looks like a broadsheet map or a city seen from an airplane. Kampala is in the valley between the two hills; Summit view and Mutundwe.
The two major roads leading out of Kampala that is the Masaka - Mbarara highway and Mubende-Fort-Portal Road start at the the Busega round-about.
The UNLA (the government soldiers of the time) had placed anti-aircraft guns and other artillery pieces at this junction.
I experience raw fear
Our people say that the water pot usually breaks at the door steps. As I looked at Kampala and all its grandeur, I developed goose pimples immediately. I started shivering and running a fever. This was the sight of my long term goal which now appeared to be within my grasp. It ought to have increased the flow of my adrenaline. Instead I was developing goose pimples.
I told the chairman of the high command (Museveni) that I thought I was developing tuberculosis. To this day I tease myself as to why that malady was the first to come to mind. The CHC told me to stay at the tactical headquarters while my second-in- command Fred Mugisha continued (to lead my unit, the 1st Battalion).
We enter Kampala
We were in a meeting on the 24th of January when we received information that the enemy had withdrawn from the Busega roundabout without a fight. My ‘tuberculosis’ disappeared just as suddenly as it had started.
Our people advanced at high speed. The 1st Battalion now under Fred Mugisha advanced towards Republic House (Bulange) then the UNLA headquarters, while 3rd Battalion under Patrick Lumumba advanced on the Lubiri barracks.
In Kampala, civilians curiously watched this new group which had captured Kampala. Coups were not a new phenomenon to Kampala people. They were used to seeing one group of soldiers overthrow another group and announcing a new government, right from Amin’s 1971 coup through the 1979 coup led by Tanzanians to the 1985 coup of Lutwa. To them, ours was no different. They told us, “we warmly welcome you but now what new rules have you got for us? Should we show you good shops to loot from? †and things of that nature.
Furious combat
In the meantime, the battle at Lubiri was raging on. The most furious fight was at the Lubiri Barracks. Lubiri has a fortified wall. When Comrade Lumumba’s battalion stormed Lubiri, the enemy soldiers put up a determined defence. The combatants tried to scale the wall but it was hard so they besieged it and poured in grenades, bombs and sustained gun fire.
Meantime the 1st battalion had overrun the army headquarters at the Bulange and gone on to radio Uganda. The Okello junta and their cohorts put up a spirited defence of the radio but our people were more determined to capture power which, in Africa then, was symbolized by the capture of the national radio station.
While all this was going on, Commander Kasirye Gwanga kept the enemy’s heavy artillery occupied while our infantry soldiers climbed summit view on foot. The UNLA and their Korean experts never quite knew what hit them. With all their attention on Mutundwe hill they found themselves surrounded by infantry soldiers who told them to put their hands up. Although they say that all is fair in love and war, I think an artillery personnel feels betrayed when he is captured by a mere infantry soldier because in spite of his fire superiority, an infantryman is sticking the barrel of a small arm in his face and telling him to give up. That is what the 11th Battalion under Chefe Ali did to the UNLA artillery people.
There were other battles along Entebbe highway especially at Kitubulu but by the evening of the 25th, UNLA soldiers started surrendering to us. On the 26th, the troops who had surrendered numbered 900. The battle for Kampala had ended.Â
The writer was the Commander
of the 1st Battalion which led
NRA’s attack on Kampala