Gen. Kazini, lion of Rwenzori Mountains roars no more
Nov 10, 2009
OBITUARY<br><br><b>By Joshua Kato and Hellen Mukiibi</b><br><br>It is very rare for decorated officers to die in the heat of battle. Most Generals survive bombardments, bullets and shootings, only to succumb to a ‘simple death’, just like 51-year-
OBITUARY
By Joshua Kato and Hellen Mukiibi
It is very rare for decorated officers to die in the heat of battle. Most Generals survive bombardments, bullets and shootings, only to succumb to a ‘simple death’, just like 51-year-old Maj. Gen. James Bunanukye Kazini, who died yesterday at the hands of his lover.
He fought in the NRA bush-war, against the ADF rebels, against the LRA and against the Khartoum government. He also commanded the UPDF forces in Kisangani and survived the fiercest of battles, only to be felled by a lover’s single blow in a domestic brawl.
This is another family tragedy after Kazini’s brother, Lt. Col. Jet Mwebaze, died in a plane crash in 1998. He was buried at Kapeeka in Nakaseke at the NRA heroes’ cemetery.
“General Kazini†as he is popularly known, has lived his life in full. A typical soldier, with a typical soldier’s swagger that involved a pistol holstered on the hips, a beret, a well ironed uniform and glittering shoes. He completed the military picture with a well kept moustache. He often softened down this trademark with a smile.
He was a commander who liked doing everything with his men. Described as a battle-hardened soldier, he has been a recruit, private, commissioned officer, commander and head of the national army, a job every soldier dreams of. But both his military and social life were shrouded in controversies, as evidenced by his death yesterday.
Military service
His military career began about 29 years ago.
Although he is not a historical bush war hero, Kazini was a former National Rescue Front I fighter. He joined the NRA towards the end of the guerrilla war in 1984. A member of the High Command yesterday attributed his rise to being a “very trusted officerâ€. Because of his military achievements and fearless character, Kazini was assigned sensitive and daring missions.
His professional number, RAO133, was an indication of his seniority in the army and the responsibilities he held in the then rebel force when ranks were introduced.
He is reported to have attended a cadet officers’ course at Munduli, Tanzania. His brief service with the UNLA ended in 1979 when Tanzania raided Kabamba barracks on the way to dislodge President Idi Amin. Kazini and a few soldiers defected and later joined Lt. Gen. Moses Ali’s National Rescue Front, which operated mainly in West Nile.
Around 1984/85, Kazini joined the NRA, where his brother Jet Mwebaze was fighting alongside Yoweri Museveni. Mwebaze had joined the NRA in 1982 in the jungles of Luweero.
In the bush, Kazini became the chief bodyguard of Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho (Salim Saleh), the then commander of the Mobile Brigade. The two had remained close since.
After the NRA captured Kampala in 1986, he was appointed commander of the 1st Battalion. Most Ugandans living in Kampala then got to know Kazini when he led “Operation Nagoyaâ€, in which he seized used vehicles, whose importers were suspected to have evaded tax. Most of the vehicles from Japan had been shipped through the port of Nagoya, thus the name of the operation.
Kazini also helped in bringing order to Kampala city by creating the first Local Defence Forces (LDUs) in the late 1980s.
When the NRA got military ranks in 1987, Kazini became a commissioned Captain.
In 1989, he was promoted to a Major and made commander of the Military Police, replacing the late Lt. Col. Benon Tumukunde. He was later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and transferred to Masaka to head the Armoured Brigade, replacing Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye.
After serving in Masaka, Kazini was promoted to a full Colonel and in 1996, he was assigned a battalion to fight Maj. Gen. Ali Bamuze’s National Rescue Front II in West Nile.
A few months later, he took over the command of the Gulu-based 4th Division from Chefe Ali to fight the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.
When he became a Brigadier in 1998, he was appointed Chief of Staff. Instead of enjoying the comfort of his office in Bombo, Kazini moved his base to the Rwenzori Mountains, where he crushed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) who had attacked the country through Mpondwe border post in Kasese district.
The rebels attacked Kazini at the Bundibugyo district headquarters in 1999. He survived the attack in which five UPDF soldiers were killed.
The ADF then attacked his home area, Kasese. While there, Kazini helped set up the Alpine Brigade, which was specifically trained to fight in the mountains. It was commanded by Col. Dura Mawa. The unit was instrumental in flushing the ADF out of the mountains.
Kazini was later put in charge of “Operation Safe Haven†to fight the ADF in western Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1999 to 2002.
Kazini extended the hunt for the ADF into the eastern DR Congo jungles. This was a joint operation with DRC under the late President Laurent Kabila. While in Congo, his troops clashed with the Rwandan army in in Kisangani in 1999 and later in 2000. From that time, his star continued to rise. “He was always resolute in his duties. This is why he got the promotions,†said one officer who served under him in Congo.
Kazini was later sent to Southern Sudan for ‘Operation Iron Fist’ to wipe out the LRA rebels, who used bases there to attack Uganda.
Accusations
Kazini was the sector commander in the DRC when the UPDF had bloody battles with their Rwandan counterparts in Kisangani. Tens of Ugandan soldiers were killed. Some officers blamed Kazini for the fighting but he denied the allegation. “Was I alone in the DRC? On whose mandate did I go to Congo?†he asked.
He returned from the Congo apparently bruised by what happened in Kisangani. Kazini and other UPDF officers were accused by a UN report of plundering Congo’s resources. While the Government did not accept the accusations, President Yoweri Museveni set up a judicial commission of inquiry headed by Justice David Porter to probe the officials named in the looting. In February 2005, the Police closed the investigations after the DPP advised that there was insufficient evidence to prefer criminal charges against Kazini.
While critics expected him to be demoted, Kazini was instead promoted to the rank of Major General and made army commander in 2001.
Kazini became the 6th NRA/UPDF commander after Gen. Elly Tumwine, Gen. Salim Saleh, Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu and Gen. Jeje Odong. It was his tenure as Army Commander that brought out more challenges. He was accused of dividing the army into the intellectuals and the semi-literates.
He was, for example, accused of promoting his own people and royal officers into key positions. These included the late Col. Sula Ssemakula, Col. Ssegamwenge and Col. Dura Mawa. But just like in other cases, Kazini explained that he was never personally in charge of promoting soldiers, since there was a board to do so.
He denied that cliques existed in the army. “It is a subject being used by some people to divide the army,†he said.
He admitted that he felt witch-hunted by some people because “I am not a hypocrite.â€
He was suspended in June 2003 as army commander and sent to Ibadan, Nigeria where he acquired a masters degree in military science at the Force War College. He was also a graduate of Pass Staff College in Nigeria.
While handing over to Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, Kazini expressed disappointment for leaving the high office without defeating the LRA.
“I got out of the army command without wiping out Kony and I have never seen any reason why Kony is killing a lot of people mercilessly,†he said.
Kazini’s trademarks
He enjoyed smoking and preferred the Rex brand manufactured in Uganda. Guinness beer was his bedfellow.
The soft-spoken officer loved live band music and was a regular at Club Obligatto, former base of Afrigo Jazz Band. He owned a brass band called Umoja (unity), which had its home in Nateete, a city suburb. He liked dancing to Congolese Lingala music. Whenever he visited a bar, patrons had their ‘full’ on his account. He liked football and supported SC Villa. He once bought the club a jersey worthy sh5m!
Troubled life
In his home area of Kasese, Kazini was the darling of the people. When he was appointed Army Commander, Kasese residents gave him 200 bags of cement. After using the cement to build his hotel in the town, the Inspector General of Government said he had broken the Leadership Code by not declaring the cement. He hit the headlines again in 2005 when he took two lorries laden with ‘the cement’ to the IGG’s office.
His last days have been muddled by court cases, in the General Court Martial and the Constitutional Court.
Late last year, he was acquitted of abuse of office, forgery and uttering false documents. But he was sentenced to three years in jail for creating ghost soldiers, especially in the 409th Brigade.
He was sent to Luzira Prison but he appealed and was released. The appeal has been going on.
If not fighting the rebels or with the law, the General has been fighting love wars.
Kazini is officially married to Phoebe Birungi and Mary Eupheniya Katushabe. They stay in separate homes. Birungi is described as a businesswoman living in Canada.
Last year, Katushabe, claiming to be the official wedded wife, blocked a civil function where Kazini intended to formalise his marriage to Birungi. With a letter from St. James Cathedral, Ruharo in Mbarara district, which indicated that they wedded there in 1990, Katushabe secured a caveat to block the ceremony scheduled at the Kasese chief administrative officer’s office.
Kazini has been linked to many women. In one incident in Makindye, the General fought Dr. Robert Kagoda, whom he accused of having an affair with his lover called Winnie. After a week of making headlines, the matter was resolved out of court.
Yesterday, Lydia Draru is said to have killed the career soldier in a lovers’ row. Just like the biblical Samson, a woman killed Kazini.
During his burial, bullets will be fired in the air and in the grave for the last salute, a befitting goodbye to the lion of the Rwenzori Mountains.
By Joshua Kato and Hellen Mukiibi
It is very rare for decorated officers to die in the heat of battle. Most Generals survive bombardments, bullets and shootings, only to succumb to a ‘simple death’, just like 51-year-old Maj. Gen. James Bunanukye Kazini, who died yesterday at the hands of his lover.
He fought in the NRA bush-war, against the ADF rebels, against the LRA and against the Khartoum government. He also commanded the UPDF forces in Kisangani and survived the fiercest of battles, only to be felled by a lover’s single blow in a domestic brawl.
This is another family tragedy after Kazini’s brother, Lt. Col. Jet Mwebaze, died in a plane crash in 1998. He was buried at Kapeeka in Nakaseke at the NRA heroes’ cemetery.
“General Kazini†as he is popularly known, has lived his life in full. A typical soldier, with a typical soldier’s swagger that involved a pistol holstered on the hips, a beret, a well ironed uniform and glittering shoes. He completed the military picture with a well kept moustache. He often softened down this trademark with a smile.
He was a commander who liked doing everything with his men. Described as a battle-hardened soldier, he has been a recruit, private, commissioned officer, commander and head of the national army, a job every soldier dreams of. But both his military and social life were shrouded in controversies, as evidenced by his death yesterday.
Military service
His military career began about 29 years ago.
Although he is not a historical bush war hero, Kazini was a former National Rescue Front I fighter. He joined the NRA towards the end of the guerrilla war in 1984. A member of the High Command yesterday attributed his rise to being a “very trusted officerâ€. Because of his military achievements and fearless character, Kazini was assigned sensitive and daring missions.
His professional number, RAO133, was an indication of his seniority in the army and the responsibilities he held in the then rebel force when ranks were introduced.
He is reported to have attended a cadet officers’ course at Munduli, Tanzania. His brief service with the UNLA ended in 1979 when Tanzania raided Kabamba barracks on the way to dislodge President Idi Amin. Kazini and a few soldiers defected and later joined Lt. Gen. Moses Ali’s National Rescue Front, which operated mainly in West Nile.
Around 1984/85, Kazini joined the NRA, where his brother Jet Mwebaze was fighting alongside Yoweri Museveni. Mwebaze had joined the NRA in 1982 in the jungles of Luweero.
In the bush, Kazini became the chief bodyguard of Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho (Salim Saleh), the then commander of the Mobile Brigade. The two had remained close since.
After the NRA captured Kampala in 1986, he was appointed commander of the 1st Battalion. Most Ugandans living in Kampala then got to know Kazini when he led “Operation Nagoyaâ€, in which he seized used vehicles, whose importers were suspected to have evaded tax. Most of the vehicles from Japan had been shipped through the port of Nagoya, thus the name of the operation.
Kazini also helped in bringing order to Kampala city by creating the first Local Defence Forces (LDUs) in the late 1980s.
When the NRA got military ranks in 1987, Kazini became a commissioned Captain.
In 1989, he was promoted to a Major and made commander of the Military Police, replacing the late Lt. Col. Benon Tumukunde. He was later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and transferred to Masaka to head the Armoured Brigade, replacing Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye.
After serving in Masaka, Kazini was promoted to a full Colonel and in 1996, he was assigned a battalion to fight Maj. Gen. Ali Bamuze’s National Rescue Front II in West Nile.
A few months later, he took over the command of the Gulu-based 4th Division from Chefe Ali to fight the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.
When he became a Brigadier in 1998, he was appointed Chief of Staff. Instead of enjoying the comfort of his office in Bombo, Kazini moved his base to the Rwenzori Mountains, where he crushed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) who had attacked the country through Mpondwe border post in Kasese district.
The rebels attacked Kazini at the Bundibugyo district headquarters in 1999. He survived the attack in which five UPDF soldiers were killed.
The ADF then attacked his home area, Kasese. While there, Kazini helped set up the Alpine Brigade, which was specifically trained to fight in the mountains. It was commanded by Col. Dura Mawa. The unit was instrumental in flushing the ADF out of the mountains.
Kazini was later put in charge of “Operation Safe Haven†to fight the ADF in western Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1999 to 2002.
Kazini extended the hunt for the ADF into the eastern DR Congo jungles. This was a joint operation with DRC under the late President Laurent Kabila. While in Congo, his troops clashed with the Rwandan army in in Kisangani in 1999 and later in 2000. From that time, his star continued to rise. “He was always resolute in his duties. This is why he got the promotions,†said one officer who served under him in Congo.
Kazini was later sent to Southern Sudan for ‘Operation Iron Fist’ to wipe out the LRA rebels, who used bases there to attack Uganda.
Accusations
Kazini was the sector commander in the DRC when the UPDF had bloody battles with their Rwandan counterparts in Kisangani. Tens of Ugandan soldiers were killed. Some officers blamed Kazini for the fighting but he denied the allegation. “Was I alone in the DRC? On whose mandate did I go to Congo?†he asked.
He returned from the Congo apparently bruised by what happened in Kisangani. Kazini and other UPDF officers were accused by a UN report of plundering Congo’s resources. While the Government did not accept the accusations, President Yoweri Museveni set up a judicial commission of inquiry headed by Justice David Porter to probe the officials named in the looting. In February 2005, the Police closed the investigations after the DPP advised that there was insufficient evidence to prefer criminal charges against Kazini.
While critics expected him to be demoted, Kazini was instead promoted to the rank of Major General and made army commander in 2001.
Kazini became the 6th NRA/UPDF commander after Gen. Elly Tumwine, Gen. Salim Saleh, Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu and Gen. Jeje Odong. It was his tenure as Army Commander that brought out more challenges. He was accused of dividing the army into the intellectuals and the semi-literates.
He was, for example, accused of promoting his own people and royal officers into key positions. These included the late Col. Sula Ssemakula, Col. Ssegamwenge and Col. Dura Mawa. But just like in other cases, Kazini explained that he was never personally in charge of promoting soldiers, since there was a board to do so.
He denied that cliques existed in the army. “It is a subject being used by some people to divide the army,†he said.
He admitted that he felt witch-hunted by some people because “I am not a hypocrite.â€
He was suspended in June 2003 as army commander and sent to Ibadan, Nigeria where he acquired a masters degree in military science at the Force War College. He was also a graduate of Pass Staff College in Nigeria.
While handing over to Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, Kazini expressed disappointment for leaving the high office without defeating the LRA.
“I got out of the army command without wiping out Kony and I have never seen any reason why Kony is killing a lot of people mercilessly,†he said.
Kazini’s trademarks
He enjoyed smoking and preferred the Rex brand manufactured in Uganda. Guinness beer was his bedfellow.
The soft-spoken officer loved live band music and was a regular at Club Obligatto, former base of Afrigo Jazz Band. He owned a brass band called Umoja (unity), which had its home in Nateete, a city suburb. He liked dancing to Congolese Lingala music. Whenever he visited a bar, patrons had their ‘full’ on his account. He liked football and supported SC Villa. He once bought the club a jersey worthy sh5m!
Troubled life
In his home area of Kasese, Kazini was the darling of the people. When he was appointed Army Commander, Kasese residents gave him 200 bags of cement. After using the cement to build his hotel in the town, the Inspector General of Government said he had broken the Leadership Code by not declaring the cement. He hit the headlines again in 2005 when he took two lorries laden with ‘the cement’ to the IGG’s office.
His last days have been muddled by court cases, in the General Court Martial and the Constitutional Court.
Late last year, he was acquitted of abuse of office, forgery and uttering false documents. But he was sentenced to three years in jail for creating ghost soldiers, especially in the 409th Brigade.
He was sent to Luzira Prison but he appealed and was released. The appeal has been going on.
If not fighting the rebels or with the law, the General has been fighting love wars.
Kazini is officially married to Phoebe Birungi and Mary Eupheniya Katushabe. They stay in separate homes. Birungi is described as a businesswoman living in Canada.
Last year, Katushabe, claiming to be the official wedded wife, blocked a civil function where Kazini intended to formalise his marriage to Birungi. With a letter from St. James Cathedral, Ruharo in Mbarara district, which indicated that they wedded there in 1990, Katushabe secured a caveat to block the ceremony scheduled at the Kasese chief administrative officer’s office.
Kazini has been linked to many women. In one incident in Makindye, the General fought Dr. Robert Kagoda, whom he accused of having an affair with his lover called Winnie. After a week of making headlines, the matter was resolved out of court.
Yesterday, Lydia Draru is said to have killed the career soldier in a lovers’ row. Just like the biblical Samson, a woman killed Kazini.
During his burial, bullets will be fired in the air and in the grave for the last salute, a befitting goodbye to the lion of the Rwenzori Mountains.