{UAH} HOW GEN ARONDA SAVED NORTHERNER'S PROPERTIES
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HOW GEN ARONDA SAVED NORTHERNER'S PROPERTIES
"......... in 1986 when I was charged with protecting Northerners from being evicted in Kampala from their property by soldiers."
Gen Aronda in interview with The Daily Monitor - 5th April 2015.
Upon taking over power in 1986, Museveni's NRA did not trust the Police that was 'Northern' dominated. The army took over policing duties throughout the country.
"..........the soldiers feel that the Police is not serious with criminal elements and they are corrupt. The army had to come in and insist that criminals must be punished. It happens in all countries, there is a time when the army assumes the duty of internal security."
Museveni in an interview with the Daily Nation 26th January 1997.
The NRA had been poisoned all throughout its indoctrination program that they were fighting to dislodge the Northern Uganda dominated government and army. While it is true that the so called 'Northerners' had dominated government and the security services, they had not accumulatedpersonal properties because they had not stolen public money as is the case now under Museveni. Instead they occupied government buildings that were either under Kampala city Council (KCC), National Housing Corporation (NHC), and Departed Asians Property Custodian Board (DAPCB). Such properties were located in Nakasero, Kololo, Ismail Road in Mbuya, Bugolobi, Old Kampala, Rubaga Road, Buganda Road and Entebbe Municipality in Kampala. The trend followed in some other urban centers.
For purposes of morale boosting during the bush war, it was very common for Commanders to select someone from among the lower ranks to stand out from the crowds and explain to the unsuspecting fighters how marvelous Kampala city was in terms of houses, cars and urban life in general. Amidst cheering by the fighters, a Commander would pose the question thus "Are you ready to head for Kampala and capture it?" and everyone would yell in approval. Indeed upon taking over Kampala, top commanders rushed to grab houses, cars and other properties. The location and financial value of the such properties on the seniority of the Commanders. Since there were no formal ranks in the NRA at the time, most of the top commanders had a feeling of being equal in rank and the location and monetary value of the property acquired, the fleet of cars coupled by the nature of office assigned to at the army headquarters at least brought in some semblance of who is senior to who. The top most occupied Kololo, followed by Nakasero, etc. However this phenomena had negative impacts in that it cemented the internal grumbling, bickering and backstabbing that threatened the cohesion of the army.As the NRA Commanders were fighting over property in Kampala, majority of the ordinary fighters continued living under 'tree shades' for the next three decades. In some cases, top commanders would acquire extra property for their friends and relatives.
At the time Civil servants, army officers and political leaders of the previous regimes had either abandoned the property and fled to exile were in hiding. In some cases its only the family head who would have fled leaving the family behind. In the later instance, its the family that had to be threatened and harassed until they vacated the property or else they risked being branded Bipingamizi (counter revolutionary). In most cases, such houses were found intact in terms of furnishings and some of the new NRA occupants would simply carry away such furnishings. Former President Dr Obote's house in Kololo was taken over by an army senior officer for over two decades only to vacate it a few hours before his (Obote) body was about to land from exile. His other house in Lira Town was ransacked by the NRA before turning it into a military detach. Gen Owite Ojok's farm in Loro was destroyed before turning it into an army Division headquarters. The family house of Gen Bazilio Okello in Kitgum was turned into an army detach thus the list is endless.
Upon taking over power in 1986, Museveni assigned then Junior Officer One (JO I) Robert Aronda to take charge of the Central Police Station in Kampala. He led a squad of intelligence officers comprised of among others; Rwija, Muruli, Gumisiriza, Kakwavu, Rwigamba, Mbugane, Mutabazi, Murenzi, and others some of whom were attached to the Custodian Board (DAPCB). Apart from the first two who hailed from Tooro and Bunyoro respectively, all the rest were Rwandese refugees who are now senior army officers in Rwanda. The Aronda team had the task of pacifying Kampala city of the so called Bipingamizi. That way, many Bipingamizis were detained, harassed and intimidated into either hiding or exile. Aronda acquired for himself a palatial house on Buganda Road that is currently housing the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC). Let him tell Ugandans what happened to the former occupants before he occupied it from 1986 to the mid 90s when he relocated to the Minister's village in Ntinda. Most of such houses were reverted to personal possessions by some top NRAs while others were sold off under unclear circumstances.
Therefore, Gen Aronda's statement that he protected northerners is misleading. The only compensation for the deliberate harassment and deprivation of northerners is the current opportunistic handover of top management of the NRA's political wing to the likes of Tadwong, Omona, Ogwang, Anite, Odoi and such others.
Congs Gen Aronda for being compassionate!!!
INFORMATION IS POWER.
Gen Aronda in interview with The Daily Monitor - 5th April 2015.
Upon taking over power in 1986, Museveni's NRA did not trust the Police that was 'Northern' dominated. The army took over policing duties throughout the country.
"..........the soldiers feel that the Police is not serious with criminal elements and they are corrupt. The army had to come in and insist that criminals must be punished. It happens in all countries, there is a time when the army assumes the duty of internal security."
Museveni in an interview with the Daily Nation 26th January 1997.
The NRA had been poisoned all throughout its indoctrination program that they were fighting to dislodge the Northern Uganda dominated government and army. While it is true that the so called 'Northerners' had dominated government and the security services, they had not accumulatedpersonal properties because they had not stolen public money as is the case now under Museveni. Instead they occupied government buildings that were either under Kampala city Council (KCC), National Housing Corporation (NHC), and Departed Asians Property Custodian Board (DAPCB). Such properties were located in Nakasero, Kololo, Ismail Road in Mbuya, Bugolobi, Old Kampala, Rubaga Road, Buganda Road and Entebbe Municipality in Kampala. The trend followed in some other urban centers.
For purposes of morale boosting during the bush war, it was very common for Commanders to select someone from among the lower ranks to stand out from the crowds and explain to the unsuspecting fighters how marvelous Kampala city was in terms of houses, cars and urban life in general. Amidst cheering by the fighters, a Commander would pose the question thus "Are you ready to head for Kampala and capture it?" and everyone would yell in approval. Indeed upon taking over Kampala, top commanders rushed to grab houses, cars and other properties. The location and financial value of the such properties on the seniority of the Commanders. Since there were no formal ranks in the NRA at the time, most of the top commanders had a feeling of being equal in rank and the location and monetary value of the property acquired, the fleet of cars coupled by the nature of office assigned to at the army headquarters at least brought in some semblance of who is senior to who. The top most occupied Kololo, followed by Nakasero, etc. However this phenomena had negative impacts in that it cemented the internal grumbling, bickering and backstabbing that threatened the cohesion of the army.As the NRA Commanders were fighting over property in Kampala, majority of the ordinary fighters continued living under 'tree shades' for the next three decades. In some cases, top commanders would acquire extra property for their friends and relatives.
At the time Civil servants, army officers and political leaders of the previous regimes had either abandoned the property and fled to exile were in hiding. In some cases its only the family head who would have fled leaving the family behind. In the later instance, its the family that had to be threatened and harassed until they vacated the property or else they risked being branded Bipingamizi (counter revolutionary). In most cases, such houses were found intact in terms of furnishings and some of the new NRA occupants would simply carry away such furnishings. Former President Dr Obote's house in Kololo was taken over by an army senior officer for over two decades only to vacate it a few hours before his (Obote) body was about to land from exile. His other house in Lira Town was ransacked by the NRA before turning it into a military detach. Gen Owite Ojok's farm in Loro was destroyed before turning it into an army Division headquarters. The family house of Gen Bazilio Okello in Kitgum was turned into an army detach thus the list is endless.
Upon taking over power in 1986, Museveni assigned then Junior Officer One (JO I) Robert Aronda to take charge of the Central Police Station in Kampala. He led a squad of intelligence officers comprised of among others; Rwija, Muruli, Gumisiriza, Kakwavu, Rwigamba, Mbugane, Mutabazi, Murenzi, and others some of whom were attached to the Custodian Board (DAPCB). Apart from the first two who hailed from Tooro and Bunyoro respectively, all the rest were Rwandese refugees who are now senior army officers in Rwanda. The Aronda team had the task of pacifying Kampala city of the so called Bipingamizi. That way, many Bipingamizis were detained, harassed and intimidated into either hiding or exile. Aronda acquired for himself a palatial house on Buganda Road that is currently housing the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC). Let him tell Ugandans what happened to the former occupants before he occupied it from 1986 to the mid 90s when he relocated to the Minister's village in Ntinda. Most of such houses were reverted to personal possessions by some top NRAs while others were sold off under unclear circumstances.
Therefore, Gen Aronda's statement that he protected northerners is misleading. The only compensation for the deliberate harassment and deprivation of northerners is the current opportunistic handover of top management of the NRA's political wing to the likes of Tadwong, Omona, Ogwang, Anite, Odoi and such others.
Congs Gen Aronda for being compassionate!!!
INFORMATION IS POWER.
Posted by Uganda - A Change of Guards!
Viele GruBe
Robukui
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