{UAH} HAD TANZANIA FEDERATED WITH UGANDA, RWANDA WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME

WE SHOULD REMAIN GRATEFUL TO TANZANIANS AND RWANDA SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO US
On April 11th 1979, Uganda and Tanzania will be marking 40 years after
the fall of Idi Amin regime to Tanzanian People's Defence Forces
(TPDF) and Ugandan exiles under Uganda National Liberation
Front/Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLF/UNLA). Haji Ahmed
Kateregga Musaazi, a journalist and Communications Assistant from
Government Citizen Interaction Center (GCIC), under Ministry of ICT
and National Guidance, has this to say:
l cannot forget a night in late 1995 l narrowly survived from some
Tanzanian journalists who wanted to eat me up for telling them that
the 1979 war was not a liberation war but was a war of conquest when
dictator Idi Amin was replaced with dictator Milton Obote.
Little did l know, that one of the journalists l was exchanging words
with was a Mkombozi (liberator) from Tanzanian People's Defence
Forces, that fought side by side with Ugandan exiles and he had fought
even in my home district of Ssembabule. Worse still, he had lost a
brother in the war.
Another journalist of Masaai origins, said "….but you, Ugandans are
very ungrateful. We shed blood so that you would be free and now you
are saying that we conquered you to replace Idi Amin with Milton
Obote!" Fortunately, they were all drunk and l was sober. One
Tanzanian friend, who had become very close to me, whisked me away
back to the hotel.
From that incident, l remembered a Baganda saying, "Entasiima ebula
agiwa," literally meaning that if one is ever ungrateful, s/he may
fail to get any donor. Yes, Tanzania, may have been with its own
regional agenda, but at least it removed Idi Amin's one man
dictatorship and probably if Ugandan exiles were more organized and
united, Obote would have been with no alternative but to come back as
an ex-president and enjoy his retirement benefits.
One of the untold reasons for Tanzania to support removal of Prof.
Yusuf Lule after succeeding Idi Amin President for only 68 days, was
because, he was making a secret alliance with soldiers of defunct
Uganda Army, who had surrendered and were under detention at Makindye
Military Police barracks, to get rid of Tanzanians, who had then
liberated the whole country from Mutukula to Nimule.
No wonder after the Saturday July 27th UNLA coup that brought Gen.
Tito Okello to power in 1985, he flew to Dar Es Salaam to explain to
the outgoing President Julius Nyerere the justification for the coup
more especially since, it had been a joint plot of UNLA mutineers and
ex Uganda Army exiles from now South Sudan and DR Congo.
There is no doubt that Tanzanians shed blood for the liberation of
Uganda and have political, strategic, economic and other interests
in Uganda. No wonder, a Uganda's mid-seventies dream for an
alternative route to Mombasa, after the late Jomo Kenyatta regime
blocked our imports and exports in 1976, have become true now with an
oil pipeline and road from Dar Es Salaam to Lake Albertine Region in
Midwestern Uganda, which construction is soon kicking off, to be
followed with a railway to portal town of Mwanza.
Fortunately, the mustard seed that was planted by TPDF and FRELIMO of
Mozambique in FRONASA in particular, and UNLA in general, geminated,
grew and bore fruits and as a result other seeds were sown in Rwandese
Patriotic Front that liberated Rwanda from 1994 genocide, then DR
Congo in 1997, SPLA/SPLM that led South Sudan to independence in 2011,
etc….
So, Uganda has legitimate political, strategic, economic and other
interests in Rwanda, DR Congo, South Sudan and elsewhere in Eastern
Africa or Great Lakes Region. Additionally, Ugandan solders have shed
blood for people of Somalia and Central African Republic so that the
region is peaceful and so that trade and investments can flourish more
especially since most of the neighbors are in East Africa Community
which is already a common market and ultimately a political
confederation or federation.
So when Government of South Sudan was almost collapsing, Uganda
sacrificed and unilaterally sent there a force to protect strategic
installations until a peace deal was made by President Salva Kiir and
his first deputy Dr. Riek Machar. President Yoweri Museveni and
President Omar Hassan El Bashir have gone extra mile to ensure that
peace returns to South Sudan. Before the outbreak of the civil war,
Uganda was the main trading partner with South Sudan and if peace is
consolidated, it will remain so.
Therefore, as we mark 40 years ever since the fall of Idi Amin regime
to Tanzanian Forces and Ugandan exiles on April 11th 1979, we should
remain grateful to the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Chama Cha
Mapinduzi (CCM), Government and people of Tanzania for the sacrifice
they made for us. They were not angels, but the second liberation
against Obote ll fascist regime was short lived because of a
foundation that had been laid by Tanzania.
Likewise, our neighbors in Rwanda, DR Congo, South Sudan, etc should
also be grateful to the sacrifice we made so that they would be free
and we shall never just watch if negative forces attempt to reverse
those gains in the region.
Lastly, Wakombozi (liberators) both Tanzanians and Ugandans will be
happy if what they fought for are consolidated more not only in Uganda
but in the entire Eastern Africa and Great Lakes Region. Aluta
continua.
Haji Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi is a journalist and a Communications
Assistant under Government Citizen Interaction Center (GCIC) under
Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, at Parliament Avenue, Toll
free-line 900.

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