Bantariza was a guerilla fighter, disguised as a priest

CELEBRATING LIFE | COL. BANTARIZA | UPDF 

Former Deputy Director of the Uganda Media Center the late, Col. Shebang Bantariza, was among the few other brothers who were actually guerilla fighters disguised as priests, the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) Deputy Defence Spokesperson, Lt. Col. Deo Akiiki has revealed.

Eulogizing Bantariza, Akiiki noted that, "I knew Col Bantariza as Brother Seban (Sebastian) a catholic reverend brother at St Edward's Bukuumi when I was in secondary school! I later learnt that he and a few other brothers were actually guerilla fighters disguised as priests. Until his passing on, l have always found it hard to reconcile the Rev Brother teacher we had, with the Soldier in Col Bantariza.," Akiiki noted.

Akiiki noted that Bantariza was always in a white cassock with a crucifix and inscriptions of brothers of Christian Instruction.

"I find it hard to reconcile with the fact that he was a soldier. To me, he remained my teacher Brother Seban," Akiiki added.

Bantariza joined the Catholic brotherhood, where he trained as an elementary school teacher before he later joined Makerere University in 1985 but abandoned his course and joined the National Resistance Army.

Bantariza died on October 27, 2020, at Mulago National Referral Hospital, where he had been admitted after complaining of chest discomfort, fatigue and cough.

Before his death, his samples had tested positive for COVID-19.

He was buried on Thursday (October 29, 2020) at Mitooma.