{UAH} OF THE IDI AMIN, OBOTE AND MUSEVENI REGIMES’ REBELLIOUS RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Written by CHANGE OF GUARDS

Uganda's social, economic and political history was shaped by religion.  The Muslim Arab traders supplied the first firearms that influenced the balance of power amongst the precolonial states of Uganda. The religious wars that involved the Mohamadians and Christians left a lasting impression on the social, economic and political future of what came to be Uganda.  Not to mention the rebellious Uganda Martyrs. When the British colonial agent, Capt. Fredrick Lugard sided with the Anglicans for their victtory against the Catholics in the Battle of Mengo, the stage was set for the Anglican domination of the political future of what came to be known as Uganda.  When King Mwanga of Buganda rebelled against the colonialists, he was backed by the Catholic Army.  When he sought to ally with King Kabalega of Bunyoro, his Catholic Army Commander, Gen. Gabriel Kintu refused to follow Mwanga to Bunyoro.  The pro-colonialist army, led by the Anglican Gen. Apollo Kagwa, finally defeated both Kabalega and Mwanga.  This alliance, which earned the Anglican faith the status of Church of Uganda, left a lasting impression on its future political role in what came to be Uganda.  It was not by accident that all the leaders of the traditional institutions professed the Anglican faith.

While the Muslims withdrew from politics to commerce, the two major Christian denominations took the lead in the social and economic spheres, more specifically, with regard to education, health and cash crops.  The first pre-independence political parties, DP and UPC were affiliated to the Catholic and Anglican faiths respectively.  John Kalekyezi (father of Museveni's Gen. Kalekyezi) who professed communist ideals was excommunicated by the Catholic Church before the colonial government deported him to Rwanda-Urundi.  He had stolen fire arms from Kisubi Catholic Church that he intended to use in disrupting the visit of the British monarch for the opening of the Owen Falls Dam.  It is widely believed that colonial Britain was not ready to leave Uganda in the hands of the Catholics, thus why DP's Benedict Kiwanuka's Premiership was short-lived.

While the effects of the 1966 Crisis took its toll on the predominantly Anglican traditional rulers, the Catholics were less bothered.  When Obote and his predominantly Anglican UPC were overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971, the Catholics viewed it as a blow to the Anglicans.  Idi Amin released the DP President, Benedict Kiwanuka (who had been detained by Obote) and banned the DP before appointing him Chief Justice.  This did not go well with the predominantly Anglican exiled UPC who were struggling against the Idi Amin regime.  No wonder, Chief Justice Benedict Kiwanuka mysteriously disappeared to this day.  While the Muslims viewed the Idi Amin regime as their own and the Catholic Church took a passive role, the Anglican Church was actively associated with the struggle against the Idi Amin regime. The likes of exiled Anglican Bishop Kivengere and Bishop Yona Okoth were very active while Archbishop Janan Luwum's direct involvement cost him his life.

After the fall of IDI Amin, the Muslims suffered persecution where some were massacred in Ankole.  In West Nile, the UNLF attacked Ombach Catholic Mission where a massacre was executed.  During Museveni's Bush War, Cardinal Nsubuga, the Canadian Father Laphram of Bukalamira Parish and other Catholic leaders are said to have rendered support to his rebellion while Father Sseguya took up arms as a combatant.  The 1982 attack on Lubiri Barracks by the UFM had Rubaga Cathedral as its artillery launching base.  In Fort Portal, the Catholic Bishop Sarapio Magambo, together with Father Albert Byaruhanga, struck a deal between the Museveni's rebel NRA and the government troops whereby the Catholic Commanding Officer of UNLA's 31st Battalion, Capt. Paciique Okwera surrendered his entire unit to the NRA.  Two weeks later, the DP and the Catholic Church convinced the top Acholi Officers in the UNLA led by Brig. Bazilio Okello to overthrow Obote and his UPC government in July 1985.  The rebellious UNLA soldiers entered Kampala chanting DP slogans.  Meanwhile, the Anglican Church was viewed as having been dislodged from power together with its UPC.

In the meantime, within Museveni's NRA, the Catholic senior Officers were being treated with suspicion.  The first casualty was Brig. Tadeo Kanyankole who was accused of being used by the DP to dominate the NRA with Catholics.  After capturing power, Museveni embarked on a systematic purge of the Catholic influence in his top command echelon.  Father Albert Byaruhanga was appointed Permanent Presidential  Advisor  on Development and Religion Affairs.  Father Seguya was appointed District Commissioner.  Then embattled Bishop Halelimana of Muhabura Diocese took up the role of actively supporting the RPF combatants who were battling the Rwanda government army.  Being an ethnic Tutsi, his involvement attracted a backlash from his predominantly Hutu floc in the south western region.

During the LRA insurgency in northern Uganda, the Museveni regime associated it with the Catholic Church leadership in that region.  Bishop Odama and his Spanish Father Carlos Rodriguez were accused of being LRA collaborators before the latter was deported from Uganda in February 2004.  Their crime was speaking out about the army excesses in that region.  In Karamoja region, the Irish Father, Delican O'toole, had been mysteriously killed in 2002 after he distinguished himself in speaking out against the excesses of the same army in that region.

For over a decade, the Museveni regime has been pursuing a systematic scheme of persecution against the Muslim faith that it associates with terrorism.  Consequently, their property have been grabbed, places of worship desecrated and several of them either summarily executed or incercerated and detained without trial.  It took Museveni two years to approve the appointment of Bart Katurebe as Chief Justice simply because of his strong Catholic background.  During the sham 2021 electoral process, Museveni accused the Catholic Church leadership in Buganda region of supporting the opposition leader Bobi Wine and his NUP against Museveni. Top on the charge sheet was Bishop Kagwa of Masaka and Archbishop Lwanga of Kamapala who have been lead critics of gross abuse of human rights and general military dictatorship.  Earlier on, Archbishop Lwanga had accused the regime of recruiting spies amongst the church leadership allegedly to monitor subversive activities.  The two top accused Bishops have both died within a period of two months apart.

Therefore, from the aforegoing, it can be authoritatively argued that it's only hypocrites and opportunists who argue that the religious leaders should stay out of politics.  For them, the role of the religious leaders in opposing bad leadership was only heroic against the regimes of Idi Amin but not against Museveni's military dictatorship.

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Rehema
Patriot in Kampala,East Africa:Assalamu Alaikum

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