{UAH} Allan/Edmund/Pojim/WBK: Obote trusted the Acholi not to oust him

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artsculture/Reviews/Obote-trusted--Acholi---him/691232-3408372-qalinfz/index.html

Obote trusted the Acholi not to oust him

Those who think Milton Obote did not know his government was going to be toppled are wrong. I was briefing the president often on what was happening, and so was the army but the question is; why wasn't he acting?

SATURDAY OCTOBER 8 2016

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Boniface Okoth Ogola was the Inspector General of Police during Obote II governnment. Often he informed Milton Obote about plans by some soldiers to oust him. Monitor photo 

In Summary

obote toppled. The fall of the Obote II regime was not a one or two-day plan. Security organs had been picking intelligence for almost two months, all the while informing the president about the developments. In Witness this week,Henry Lubega talks to Boniface Okoth Ogola, the then Inspector General of Police, who briefed Milton Obote of the plans leading to the July 27, 1985 coup d'état that ousted him.

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By Henry Lubega

Those who think Milton Obote did not know his government was going to be toppled are wrong. I was briefing the president often on what was happening, and so was the army but the question is; why wasn't he acting?

Earlier, Obote had summoned elders from Lango and Acholi and asked them to calm Tito Okello down. The Acholi elders were led by then prime minister Otema Alimadi while the Langi were led by Wacha Odwo. However, they failed to reach a compromise.

I talked to late archbishop Yonah Okoth to talk to [Tito] Okello. He went with Northern Uganda Diocese Bishop Ogwal Abwang, to his [Tito's] residence.

They said he was crying, saying the death of Oyite Ojok had caused him problems because he used to respect him the most unlike other soldiers who were now despising him. Tito also told them that the Acholi group was discontented, saying since they were the people dying at the frontline they would rather take over government.

After their meeting, I took the archbishop to the president's office and told the secretary to let him talk to the president. From 9am, he only came back to my office a few minutes after 11am.

Mobilising support
After that meeting, [Tito] Okello left Kampala for Jinja where he talked to Acholi soldiers only. He did the same in Magamaga and Tororo. But before he could reach Mbale, I went to the president and asked him whether he was aware of what [Tito] Okello was doing.

The president told me [Tito] Okello was on an inspection tour. He went to Mbale, Moroto, Kotido and Kitgum, all the while addressing Acholi soldiers, but in Gulu he entered the state lodge. 
I told the president that [Tito] Okello was now in the State Lodge, but he did not act.

Tito's stay in Acholi was to drum up support from ordinary Acholis who were not aware of what was happening. He started concocting stories about how the Acholi have been mistreated by the government. After ganging up, they went to Corner Kamdini.

This kind of preparation took almost two months and the president was being briefed regularly about it.

He believed Acholi had sacrificed a lot to keep him in power and he, therefore, had no intention of hurting them. The president would not listen if anybody told him the Acholi were planning anything bad.

I told him that UNLA mutineers are going to cross Karuma [Bridge] and he said they could not. They crossed and surrounded Masindi. I still went and informed him, that they were now in Masindi mobilising Acholi [soldiers] there. But for the three days they were there, he did not take any action.

At about 3pm on the eve of the coup, they [UNLA mutineers] left Masindi in a convoy of 15 vehicles. I got the information 15 minutes after their departure, rushed and told the president but he did not answer me. I got frustrated and went home.

After about 30 minutes, I was informed that the president had called for me.

I rushed back and he asked me what I had told him earlier. I told him that it was now more than an hour later and the UNLA mutineers were on their way to Kampala. I don't know what happened after I had said that.

At 2am, then minister for Security, Chris Rwakasisi, called me and said we were in trouble. I found him at the home of the army chief of staff with 50 other officers who had run away from Bombo [army barracks]. The president left us discussing how we were going to stop the mutineers from entering Kampala.

The raid 
The next morning, I went to the office to meet with my special force officers on how to deploy. As I was still briefing them, one of them said: 'sir, these people [UNLA mutineers] are already here'.

I decided to go to my car in the basement and go home. But I met the UNLA mutineers at the roundabout near Radio Uganda [now Uganda Broadcasting Corporation]. They saw my flag and saluted. I saluted back.

I didn't know though, that they were heading to Radio Uganda to announce the takeover. The permanent secretaries who wanted to know where the president was were following me.

Outside my gate, we heard bombing in the city. There was a special forces truck at my gate. I entered it and we headed towards the Kitante Road but there was bombing on the same road.

I felt I should not die with all these police officers because they had not committed any crime. So I got out of the truck and told them to drive away. I walked towards Justice John Kityo's gate, and the moment he saw me, he told me to remove my uniform. He gave me his suit. I stayed with him that night.
But that same night, the people who wanted to kill me were now looking for me for a different purpose. The situation in Kampala had changed and they now wanted my help.

Obote in exile
After his second removal from power by his own soldiers - Brig Bazilio Olara-Okello and Gen Tito Okello - Obote fled to Tanzania and later to Zambia. For some years it was rumoured that he would return to Ugandan politics.

In August 2005, however, he announced his intention to step down as leader of the UPC. In September 2005, it was reported that Obote would return to Uganda before the end of 2005 but he did not make it. On October 10, 2005, Obote died of kidney failure in a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.
lubegah@ug.nationmedia.com

Moses Ocen Nekyon

Democracy is two Wolves and a Lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed Lamb disputing the results.

Benjamin Franklin

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