{UAH} HOW DID MUSEVENI'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT TAKE ROOT IN 1986?
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HOW DID MUSEVENI'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT TAKE ROOT IN 1986?
The Okellos had handed over power to Museveni by succumbing to his treachery. Tito Okello gave in to presure from Museveni to elinate Paulo Mwanga and Wilson Toko from the goverment team during the Nairobi peace talks. Accepting to go for peace talks with Museveni itself was sucidal. Above all, the Okello coup against the UPC goverment 6 months earlier had helped to strengthen Museveni's NRA. Had it not been for the Okello coup, the NRA and Museveni in particular would not have managed to dislodge the UPC government. In appreciation of Tito Okello's noble contribution, he was allowed to return from exile and die in Uganda. His son is a permanent Minister in the Museveni government. The UNLA officers had simply retreated from Kampala. The city's huge swamps and rised grounds (hills) provide a natural defence and if well utilised, its not an easy job for an invader to overran it. Unlike NRA, the UNLA Officers had not accumulated ill gotten wealth worthy defending. They drove goverment vehicles, their wifes owned no companies that supplied 'air' to goverment departments and owned no shopping complexes in the city. They owned no personal mansions but stayed in goverment houses where their wifes rared goats and chicken. Under the current Museveni government such a situation would lead to a Mogadishu kind of scenario with each General controlling a sector of the city and a faction of the army.
Upon the fall of Kampala, Senior NRA Officers rushed to grab vehicles and posh houses in the prestigious Kololo and Nakasero residential areas.
Just hours after being sworn in as President, Museveni flew to DRC to meet Congo's Mobutu, Rwanda's Habyarimana and Kenya's Moi. The idea behind was that after acquiring the Presidency, his concern was how to retain it. He knew and he still knows that his downfall would come from beyond Uganda's borders. Therefore destabilisation, overthrow and instalation of client regimes in the region has been and remains his top priority.
He appointed a cabinet that included many DPs and other prominent personalities. However, his main focus was on the Military. Since the bush days there are some individuals he had delibarately kept out of the main stream military. At this juncture, an opportunity had presented itself to dispose then off. Eriya Kategaya, Kahinda, Otafiire, Amanya Mushega, Dr. Ronald Bata, Dr. Kiiza Besigye were appointed to cabinet positions. Because the NRA had no faith in the northern dominated Police, it took charge of law enforcement by taking over major police stations. That is how Aronda came to take charge of Central Police Station in Kampala. NRA Civil Intelligence Officers (CIO) and Special District Administrators (SDA) took charge of districts.
The NRA proceeded to the eastern and northern regions without any form of resistance. The main mission was to identify and neutralise the Vipingamizis (counter revolutionaries). In the Northern region and Acholiland in particular, most of the defeated UNLAs had fled to the Sudan and the others were hidden by the local population. The NRA was perceived as a Nyarwanda (Rwandese) occupational force. Because of the indoctrination, the NRA also perceived them as either Vipingamizi or Anyanyas who had caused alot of suffering to the people of the south.
The NRA had almost vacated the western region save for the small detachements and the 21st Bn under Benon Tumukunde that was based at Kabukero. The main training wing that was at Bihanga Prison was moved to Kabamba training school in Mubende. The army political school also relocated from Kasese to Entebbe while Kakoza Mutale's old version of Kyankwanzi relocated from Fort Portal to a forest in Wakiso district. Many goverment officials who wanted to retain their jobs and all others who wished to get closer to NRM rushed to attend the Cadre Courses. The likes of David Pulkol, Fagil Mande and many others got closer to NRM in that way. It also became a recruitment ground for the President's office (the old version of ISO). The so called Cadres (graduates from the these political schools) were seconded to different ministries and parastatals. Notably National Housing, Railways, Radio Uganda, Custodian Board, Posts and Telecommunications etc where these Cadres were agents of harrassment and victimisation of those percieved enemies of the revolution. Its around this time that many elites from the eastern and northern regions fled the country and others opted to support the insurgency that ensued.
With many recruits passing out, the NRA expanded its structures. The army headquarters was at Republic House (Bulange). Three Brigades were formed i.e 163rd Brigade under Tinyefuza based in Lubiri, Kampala, 157th Brigade under Kyaligonza based in Mbale and 167th Brigade unfr Pecos Kutesa based in Lira.
NEXT: Dont miss the origin of the northern insurgency and the UFM coup attempt.
INFORMATION IS POWER.
Upon the fall of Kampala, Senior NRA Officers rushed to grab vehicles and posh houses in the prestigious Kololo and Nakasero residential areas.
Just hours after being sworn in as President, Museveni flew to DRC to meet Congo's Mobutu, Rwanda's Habyarimana and Kenya's Moi. The idea behind was that after acquiring the Presidency, his concern was how to retain it. He knew and he still knows that his downfall would come from beyond Uganda's borders. Therefore destabilisation, overthrow and instalation of client regimes in the region has been and remains his top priority.
He appointed a cabinet that included many DPs and other prominent personalities. However, his main focus was on the Military. Since the bush days there are some individuals he had delibarately kept out of the main stream military. At this juncture, an opportunity had presented itself to dispose then off. Eriya Kategaya, Kahinda, Otafiire, Amanya Mushega, Dr. Ronald Bata, Dr. Kiiza Besigye were appointed to cabinet positions. Because the NRA had no faith in the northern dominated Police, it took charge of law enforcement by taking over major police stations. That is how Aronda came to take charge of Central Police Station in Kampala. NRA Civil Intelligence Officers (CIO) and Special District Administrators (SDA) took charge of districts.
The NRA proceeded to the eastern and northern regions without any form of resistance. The main mission was to identify and neutralise the Vipingamizis (counter revolutionaries). In the Northern region and Acholiland in particular, most of the defeated UNLAs had fled to the Sudan and the others were hidden by the local population. The NRA was perceived as a Nyarwanda (Rwandese) occupational force. Because of the indoctrination, the NRA also perceived them as either Vipingamizi or Anyanyas who had caused alot of suffering to the people of the south.
The NRA had almost vacated the western region save for the small detachements and the 21st Bn under Benon Tumukunde that was based at Kabukero. The main training wing that was at Bihanga Prison was moved to Kabamba training school in Mubende. The army political school also relocated from Kasese to Entebbe while Kakoza Mutale's old version of Kyankwanzi relocated from Fort Portal to a forest in Wakiso district. Many goverment officials who wanted to retain their jobs and all others who wished to get closer to NRM rushed to attend the Cadre Courses. The likes of David Pulkol, Fagil Mande and many others got closer to NRM in that way. It also became a recruitment ground for the President's office (the old version of ISO). The so called Cadres (graduates from the these political schools) were seconded to different ministries and parastatals. Notably National Housing, Railways, Radio Uganda, Custodian Board, Posts and Telecommunications etc where these Cadres were agents of harrassment and victimisation of those percieved enemies of the revolution. Its around this time that many elites from the eastern and northern regions fled the country and others opted to support the insurgency that ensued.
With many recruits passing out, the NRA expanded its structures. The army headquarters was at Republic House (Bulange). Three Brigades were formed i.e 163rd Brigade under Tinyefuza based in Lubiri, Kampala, 157th Brigade under Kyaligonza based in Mbale and 167th Brigade unfr Pecos Kutesa based in Lira.
NEXT: Dont miss the origin of the northern insurgency and the UFM coup attempt.
INFORMATION IS POWER.
Posted by Uganda - A Change of Guards!
Viele GruBe
Robukui
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