{UAH} Personal testimonies of the survivors of the 1979 muslim massacre in Mbarara
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The following are the personal testimonies of the Muslims who survived the massacres.
Mzee Hassan Hamutambo
Mzee Hassan Hamutambo was born in 1908 in Kigezi District. In 1925 he migrated with his parents to Rwengando in Kiziba sub-county, Ankole District. He fought in the Second World War and returned to the same place in 1946. His father was not a Muslim and was married to 10 wives. In 1946 Hassan Hamutambo embraced Islam. He later married a non-Muslim lady, and in 1975 the community pressurized him to revert to Christianity. He refused.
From then his wife started misbehaving, and they divorced. Asked about how Muslims behaved during Amin's regime, Mzee Hassan said, "Generally the Muslims behaved well, save for two men, one of whom is currently in jail. It was mainly the Christians who held high positions of responsibility. For example all the chiefs, save for the then Gombolola chief, Abas Kigozi, were Christians."
On how the massacres started, Mzee Hassan said that it all started with the Christians holding continuous meetings. Thereafter they went to Muslim homes and demanded cows as ransom for having misbehaved during Amin's regime. Among the people whose cows were eaten are Jafari Kibirige, Miiro, Hajji Katende, Serunjogi and Hamidi. Banana plantations belonging to the Muslims were destroyed. All these events took place in 1979.
Then they started gathering the Muslims from their places of work or homes at around lunch time. They were called out of their homes by people with spears, dogs and banana fibers who told them that they were wanted by the defence minister, Yoweri Museveni, to explain certain things. On coming out of their houses, they were handcuffed with banana fibres and led to River Rwizi where they were cut with pangas and thrown into the water.
Mzee Hassan said he lost his eldest son Abdu Isangabashaija who left three sons, of whom two are currently (1989) in Primary Four and one in Primary Two.
Another one is the son of Abdulmanaf who was his in-law. His worst experience of all was that of the lady who had been married to Ali – Madiya – who was seven months pregnant. Her belly was hacked with a panga and fetus removed and thrown in the river.
Abdallah Segululigamba, the Muslim pioneer in the area, was also killed. The Mzee also said that before all this took place, there were some four people who were killed in the house and the Muslims were prevented from burying them. They were not buried until a delegation from the headquarters of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council headed by Kassim Mulumba came to the place. The victims were:
1. Idi Tamukedde
2. Abdallah Kyegambe
3. Mustapha Mabuye
4. Out of his memory
All of them were neighbors. Only their skeletons could be buried. "We placed two in each grave", said Mzee Hassan.
Asked about how he escaped, he said, "I cannot exactly tell how I escaped. It was a horrible experience, but somehow I managed to escape to Zaire where I stayed for sometime in Muslim homes. In the same year I came back because of my people I had left behind, but I found when they had gone to Mbarara."
On property, the old man said he had lost almost everything. His house was also burnt. "As if that was not enough, in 1982 during the Obote II Regime, when they started chasing the Banyarwanda, my house was burnt alleging that I was a Nyarwanda. I later went to Mbarara and cleared myself by producing evidence."
When Tito Okello Lutwa took over power in 1985, they again came to his place at around 4.30pm and burnt everything within the grass-thatched house. In it were 30 bags of coffee, 30 bags of maize, 4 bags of beans, 4 bags of groundnuts 3 granaries of millet. They alleged that his son Mutwalib Dimba had on many occasions stolen money and a radio cassette, and they wanted him to give testimony to the police. "However, some of the people who did it were arrested," Mzee Hassan said.
As regards responsibility, the old man said that he has 10 children in Primary school, three of whom are orphans. He has three in Secondary school. Asked whether he knew about any other orphans, he said he did not know many, except those of Abdallah Kachwa. People had dispersed into different places after the tragedy, he noted sadly. He, however, said that some are under the guardianship of Sheikh Abdulmanaf Semakula at Kiziba, who "lost many children, about 10 and his wife was cut on the head but still lives."
Ibrahim Kangave
He stays in Kiziba Village. He asserted that the people killed in 1979 were not politicians. Ibrahim explains that soon after the meetings held by non-Muslims, especially the Protestants in Itendero, and after forcing Muslims to pay ransom and destroying their plantations, Fenikance Kamisha was killed by unknown assailants at night. It is said that this was the origin of the Muslim massacre as Christians thought it was the Muslims who had killed him in retaliation. Ibrahim Kangave contends, however, that they wanted to use this as an excuse to finish off Muslims in the area, which seemed to have been their wish for a long time.
He also said that some government officials were sent to the area in 1980 during President Binaisa's Regime but were chased away by throwing stones at them.
Sheikh Abdulmanaf Semakula
Currently, this is the oldest sheikh in the area and one of the earliest settlers. He came to the area at the age of 5 with his father. They came from Kyaggwe in Buganda to Nakasambya and finally to Kiziba when he was 20.
Asked whether he had problems with non-Muslims during Amin's regime, Sheikh Abdulmanaf said, "There were no problems at all. We even married from them."
Concerning the atrocities committed against Muslims, Sheikh Abdulmanaf said that it seemed that Amin, having been a Muslim and President, had prompted the Protestants to nurse a silent grudge against all Muslims. Sheikh Abdulmanaf recalls that, Edward Rurangaranga came to the area and called for a meeting, and told the people to separate thus, "Those of Amin here and the rest there." They refused to separate. But the Muslims were told to separate from the rest, which they did.
He addressed them separately. Thereafter he addressed the other group. It is reported from people who were in the non-Muslim meeting that Rurangaranga said, "We have finished the stem (Amin) and the branches are yours." This was in 1979. It was not long thereafter before the non-Muslims, especially the Protestants, started asking for ransoms, burning houses and destroying gardens belonging to Muslims.
"On 26, June 1979, they started gathering all the Muslims from their houses in broad day light and took them to River Rwizi," said the old sheikh. Some of those involved in the process of gathering were:
1. Machote, who is currently in prison
2. Rweizire
3. Bucunku –in prison
4. Yoramu – imprisoned
5. Kamugisha – in prison
6. Kyankaga – Not arrested
The Muslims were cut, thrown into the river, and those who managed to survive ran to the district commissioner. A meeting was convened at Kagango. The defence minister Yoweri Museveni attended in person. He ordered for the arrest and imprisonment of the killers but some of them were released shortly after. Kyankaga was not arrested and stayed at his home.
Another meeting was held at Kiziba to try and put out the fire. At the meeting a resolution was passed that whoever shall be seen harassing Muslims would be fined. This meeting turned the matter from an open operation to a secret one which was more destructive. They would come at night and take all the things. So the Muslims ran to Kabwohe; those who remained were forced to sell their land at takeaway prices.
Asked whether the cases were reported to the Police, Sheikh Abdulmanaf said they had reported and that the cases even reached court. "The other side hired a lawyer and the Muslims were called upon to hire one but they could not afford because the lawyer wanted sh. 400,000," he said.
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