{UAH} WHY WAS THE THE 1985 OKELLO OVERTHROW OF OBOTE SAD NEWS FOR NRA?
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WHY WAS THE 1985 OKELLO OVERTHROW OF OBOTE SAD NEWS FOR THE NRA?
When the UNLA's 31st Battallion opted to join hands with the NRA in Fort Portal in July 1985, Fred Rwigyema in the company of Jim Muhwezi addressed a public rally at the Public Library. All the goverment officials had gone into hiding leaving the Asst. District Commissioner 1 (ADC1), Maku Igga (RIP) who received the NRA. This guy from West Nile must have had prio contact with the NRA. He was later to join the NRA and served under ESO rising to Director General before he passed on a few years back. It is at this moment that people started to realise that the guerrillas belonged to Museveni. Even prominent people like Kajabago Karusoke (of the biological substances) still believed that it was the other old UNlF-AD thing because of the strong presence of Cheif Ali among the guerillas. The area was a DP dominated and all the unsuspecting jubillants were about DP's trumph over UPC. The NRA was allowed to enter Fort Portal Town and camped at Kyebambe Girls' Secondary School and the UNLA remained in Muhote barracks before the formal intergration exercise. Those UNLAs who did not want to join NRA simply sneeked out of Fort Portal to Mubende and beyond. NRA's rear bases and Kigongo's group of NRC remained holed up in the mountains. Bank of Uganda Fort Portal currency Centre was systematically emptied. Shortly after, news came in that the UNLA was mutineering in Gulu and was advancing on Kampala. It was bad news for the NRA because it feared that if the UPC and Obote is overthrown, its propanda machinery of fighting because the UPC rigged the 1989 elections would be no more. Above all, was the fear that once the UPC was out, the DP would emmerge as the stongest national force thus reorganise the UNLA and render the NRA's fighting irrelevant. All along the NRA had been riding on the back of the DP. For that matter, the NRA hastly despatched the Commanding Officer of the UNLA's 31st Bn Capt Okwera to deliver an important message of cooperation to the muteneers. Capt Okwera travelled through Kyenjojo, Hoima, Masindi and Karuma. As to what happened to him, can some one out there tell the world?
The mutineering UNLAs advanced on Kampala and took over the UPC government and Milton Obote fled into exile. The former CDF, Tito Okello became the President as Bazilio Okello took charge of the army. A goverment composed of several DP members including the DP president Paulo Semogerere,Sam Kuteesa, Andrew Adimola and others was put in place. Some leading members of the deposed UPC goverment like Paulo Muwanga also came on board. The new government called upon all the armed groups including the NRA to end the fighting and join hands in building the country. All other fighting groups i.e those of Moses Ali, Wilson Toko, Amin Onzi, Andrew Kayira and George Nkwanga heeded to the call and joined hands with the new government. The NRA was innitially reluctant to give a defite response because all the major simultenous developments had taken place when he had long been away in Sweden with his family.
After taking control of Fort Portal, the small presence of UNLA in Kasese town simply melted to Mbarara Barracks. A small group of NRA went throug the mountain to take control of Bundibugyo, disarmed the police and prisons and mobilised former soldiers who had served under Iddi Amin to become instructors (trainers). At the same time the NRA was overwhelmed by the usual Batooro generosity and the number of girls, boys, men and women from the area who were enlisting for military training just out of exitement. At a lower level, recruits were also coming in from distant areas like Bushenyi and Rukungiri. That is when the likes of Mzei Nsheka of Kebisoni reactivated their historical role of recruiting for the NRA. All along recruits were being trained at the Rwenzori mountain training wing that was being administered by Poteri Kivuna and the 'B Coy' of Father Sseguya and a certain Kagonyera - one-armed fellow. Later, the NRA established a grand training wing in the Semuliki Game Reserve in Ntoroko. Kajabago Karusoke was in this training school just trying to get closer to the NRA. Tinyefuza was also in Semuliki but still as a detainee. Political mobilisation of the population commenced and the Kigongo group was set free from a hostage like situation and embarked on preaching the NRA's Ten Point Programe. To assist him were Abbey Mukwaya, George Gyagenda Kibirango, Antony Angwa, and others. A broadcasting radio station was set up high up in the mountain manned among others a one David Mugambwa who had absconded from Radio Uganda but its reception was poor. For the 'always welcoming' Batooro, it was simply a sail over. That is why 27 years later Museveni tells them off that he is not an angel to solve their problems.
NEXT: Dont miss how the UNLA missed an opportunity to wipe out the vulnerable NRA.
INFORMATION IS POWER.
The mutineering UNLAs advanced on Kampala and took over the UPC government and Milton Obote fled into exile. The former CDF, Tito Okello became the President as Bazilio Okello took charge of the army. A goverment composed of several DP members including the DP president Paulo Semogerere,Sam Kuteesa, Andrew Adimola and others was put in place. Some leading members of the deposed UPC goverment like Paulo Muwanga also came on board. The new government called upon all the armed groups including the NRA to end the fighting and join hands in building the country. All other fighting groups i.e those of Moses Ali, Wilson Toko, Amin Onzi, Andrew Kayira and George Nkwanga heeded to the call and joined hands with the new government. The NRA was innitially reluctant to give a defite response because all the major simultenous developments had taken place when he had long been away in Sweden with his family.
After taking control of Fort Portal, the small presence of UNLA in Kasese town simply melted to Mbarara Barracks. A small group of NRA went throug the mountain to take control of Bundibugyo, disarmed the police and prisons and mobilised former soldiers who had served under Iddi Amin to become instructors (trainers). At the same time the NRA was overwhelmed by the usual Batooro generosity and the number of girls, boys, men and women from the area who were enlisting for military training just out of exitement. At a lower level, recruits were also coming in from distant areas like Bushenyi and Rukungiri. That is when the likes of Mzei Nsheka of Kebisoni reactivated their historical role of recruiting for the NRA. All along recruits were being trained at the Rwenzori mountain training wing that was being administered by Poteri Kivuna and the 'B Coy' of Father Sseguya and a certain Kagonyera - one-armed fellow. Later, the NRA established a grand training wing in the Semuliki Game Reserve in Ntoroko. Kajabago Karusoke was in this training school just trying to get closer to the NRA. Tinyefuza was also in Semuliki but still as a detainee. Political mobilisation of the population commenced and the Kigongo group was set free from a hostage like situation and embarked on preaching the NRA's Ten Point Programe. To assist him were Abbey Mukwaya, George Gyagenda Kibirango, Antony Angwa, and others. A broadcasting radio station was set up high up in the mountain manned among others a one David Mugambwa who had absconded from Radio Uganda but its reception was poor. For the 'always welcoming' Batooro, it was simply a sail over. That is why 27 years later Museveni tells them off that he is not an angel to solve their problems.
NEXT: Dont miss how the UNLA missed an opportunity to wipe out the vulnerable NRA.
INFORMATION IS POWER.
Posted by Uganda - A Change of Guards!
Viele GruBe
Robukui
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