|
Was President Yoweri Museveni a 'lone ranger' or superman during his armed struggles of the '70s and '80s or was he a guerilla leader leading a group of fighters who each played their part? In the last few years, Museveni seems to have projected himself more as the former that the latter. Below, Sunday Monitor's Nabusayi L. Wamboka & David Kibirige sought the president's surviving Fronasa comrades for their side of the story:-
A war of words sparked off by Augustine Ruzindana, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Advocacy Forum (PAFO) that he was in the liberation struggle with president Museveni for over thirty years is shaking some bones in the closet.
The story "Ruzindana to stand in 2006," The New Vision November 30, solicited a strong response from president Yoweri Museveni who reduced Ruzindana's remarks to "disgusting" and said the former IGG exaggerated his contribution to the struggle that brought the NRM to power in 1986.
The Monitor also published the same story under the headline, "Muntu, Ruzindana Meet 700 East LCs," (Sunday Monitor November 30).
Although the two papers had almost similar quotes, the bits about Ruzindana standing for presidency and the claims about the liberation struggle were not in the Sunday Monitor story.
The New Vision story was however discredited and the author of the story suspended by the paper after recorded WBS television tapes were produced and Ruzindana denied remarks attributed to him.
![]() |
|
President Museveni: Lone ranger or guerilla leader? |
Following the story, an angry Museveni said Ruzindana joined Fronasa for only three years 1971-1974 as secretary for defense.
Different views
In his book, "Sowing The Mustard Seed", Museveni mentions Ruzindana as one of the cadres who joined him in 1972.
"The plan for the struggle inside Uganda was to start with the 100 guns we had infiltrated into the country before the 1972 invasion. I had with me 14 Fronasa cadres who had been trained by Frelimo, but who had not had a chance to participate in the September fighting. These included Maumbe Mukhwana and Augustine Ruzindana. (Page 74).
On page 85 in the same book Museveni writes: "In spite of our setbacks and mistakes, however, President Nyerere was encouraged by the efforts we had made. Our clandestine operations after 1972 showed that we had the capacity to do some work because we had some useful contacts inside Uganda. Although Nyerere did not give us any new guns, ammunition or money-and to that extent he had accepted the Mogadishu Agreement-he offered us new training facilities, using a Frelimo base in Nachingwea.
We recruited 54 boys, mostly from Bugisu, and started training them at Nachingwea. Unfortunately, once again, these boys had not been well selected. They had mostly been working in Nairobi and had a kiyaye (lumpen proletariat) culture. They begun misbehaving in the Frelimo camp and soon after their training, the Tanzanian government dispersed them. For example they would start drinking and moving out of camps, thus exposing their cover-their Ugandan background was not supposed to be known. This was another setback because they were the group we had hoped to start using against Amin, beginning September 1973..."
However in his statement about Ruzindana, Museveni claimed that he had sent Ruzindana along with 53 fighters to the Frelimo camp in Nachingwea, Tanzania.
"Ruzindana and his colleagues on site could not manage that group. Their group became very indisciplined. The late President of Mozambique Comrade Samora Machel, at that time still a freedom fighter himself summoned me and told me to take the group away. We disbanded the group," he said. He later described this as the Nachingwea failure.
While President Museveni may be mixing up the history of his liberation struggle, most of the people he mentioned are either dead, too afraid to go on record or say they are disgusted with the whole scenario.
![]() |
| Julius Nyerere |
Ruzindana himself says he does not want to discuss anything concerning the president's outbursts.
"I do not want to engage the president in press wars so I have nothing to say," he said when contacted on phone.
Yona Kanyomozi (who was part of the Nairobi group) now a member of the East African Legislative assembly switched his phone off, while Maumbe Mukhwana said he can only put his memoirs in a book at a later date.
Did he or didn't he..
Although President Museveni insists in his statement that Ruzindana was part of the group that participated in the abortive Mbarara attack, his comments in the book are inconsistent with this claim.
On September 18, 2003 under the heading "Museveni Relives The 1972 Attack on Mbrarara Barracks" The New Vision Museveni wrote that Ruzindana had been trained before the September 17, 1972 ill invasion.
"The Masaka group was much bigger (three times more). When we crossed Kyaka Bridge, the two groups separated. We drove slowly with only parking lights. I had managed to mobilise a driver from my group. I sat in the driver's cabin and the rest of the group of about 40 boys mainly from Toro having been recruited by Malibo from Mwenge county, sat on the back of the lorry. They were mainly peasant boys. However there were also intellectuals in the group, like the late Kahunga, Ruzindana, the late Mwesigwa Black and the late Raitin Omongin," he wrote.
What comrades say
According to some Fronasa members, Ruzindana played a pivotal role in the 1979 war. After the liberation war, he used to stay with the late Fred Rwigyema at Grand Imperial Hotel together with some senior Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces (TPDF) officers.
One of such comrades is James Kanagwa, then a recruit in the camp together with other Ugandans.
"I do not remember Ruzindana being indisciplined. Why was he appointed the first Inspector General of Government if he was indisciplined? This is a case of trying to change history now," Kanagwa said.
Efforts to get Maumbe Mukhwana to speak about the incidents in the struggle and the comments about Ruzindana's role bore nothing.
He described it as a matter of `life and death' and said he wouldn't be seen to contradict the president. Maumbe who had initially agreed to an interview, later changed his mind after what he said were `intensive consultations' with people who advised him not to talk to the press.
Maumbe who says he has retired from politics and is now an orange farmer describes Ruzindana and Museveni as good friends. Last week another Fronasa comrade under his pen name, Chef Sophos Gayane described Museveni's statement as `most unfortunate and really sad' to those of us who were and are still on the ground.
Chef Gayane said Ruzindana was in FRONASA from 1971 to 1979 because even after the fall of Kampala to TPDF, he was among those who were staying in Imperial Hotel with the late Rwigyema and many other cadres and fighters.
"Up to 1976 when I used to go to Moshi or Dar-es-Salaam John [Augustine Ruzindana] would give us his little earnings and guide us on the right political lines - ask Prof. Mamdani since he is still alive," he said in a letter sent to The Monitor and confirming Kanagwa's statement.
History may have been distorted
Analysts say when one falls out with Museveni, one should not expect credit for any contribution.
For instance in Sowing The Mustard Seed, Lt. Gen. David Tinyefuza is not mentioned anywhere in the 1981-86 bush war which brought Museveni to power. Though Tinyefuza is a legendary fighter, by the time of writing the book in 1997 he had fallen out with Museveni and had even threatened to quit the army. Boniface Byanyima, from where Museveni grew up, is not mentioned anywhere after falling out politically.
On what President Museveni described as the "Nachingwea failure", Gayane says there was no failure in Nachingweya. "The only problem was food, water, clothing and finishing training. The group was idle for one whole year. In fact, I can be supported here by the then Camp Commandant, Comrade Chef Chimpenyi who was directly in charge of FRONASA training. We can also get the answer from former RDC Jack Maumbe who at one time fought physically with President Museveni over the control of the fighters," he wrote.
But Maumbe could neither confirm nor deny this although he said he knew Chef Gayane.
"I will put my story in a book that I am writing at a later time. I cannot say anything about that now. This is very sensitive and I'm not just being a coward. I have talked to people and I think it is better if I didn't talk," he said at his farm.
Mzee James Kanagwa however says: "We tried our best, it is just a miracle that these recruits never killed each other due to so many things including hunger, sickness and poor conditions within the camps e.g. lack of water, even for drinking. We resorted to boiling leaves of trees to cure hunger pains and some wanted to eat rats as the Frelimo fighters were doing."
According to Chef Gayane, it was the ever reconciling and wise directives of John (pen name for Ruzindana) that saved the day. Gayane refers to Lawrence Gama a Tanzanian top spymaster and Major Butiku who now runs the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation that manages the ex-president Nyerere's Primary School as some of the witnesses.
Gayane also talks about Comrades Ahmed Sseguya, Comrade Rubereza (Nkuranga) etc. "They were all under Mr Ruzindana, in Nachingwea, who shaped them politically and instilled good discipline into them. This can't be taken as a failure. Infact Ruzindana was later Reberezi's bestman when he got married to a South Africa girl," he said.
Gayane claimed they all separated after the Tanzanian government failed to fund their living.
"That is when I went to Nairobi, the president [Museveni] went to teach in Moshi and Ruzindana went to Ministry of Trade and Industry and later to TANESCO. Other fighters left for Uganda to carry on within the country e.g. with Victor Amanya and Mr Otim both of who died between 1975/6 in Uganda.
Others were in Nairobi doing reconnaissance with the help of people like Yona Kanyamozi, the late Jesse James Namakajjo and Sam Kutesa," he said. President Museveni however claims in his book that after the setbacks of 1972, Nyerere refused to give them new guns, ammunitions or money.
"Some comrades left Tanzania to look for work elsewhere, with Kategaya getting a job in Zambia, while Museveni got one in Tanzania," he wrote. This confirms Gayane's claim that they dispersed because of lack of funding.
Gayane recalls that President Museveni was in Moshi up to early 1978 because his family was there.
"I used to come over. I was in Nairobi up to 1979 when we all came back to Uganda although I again left for Kenya on 5th Jan. 1980 to stay there until 1986 only. The meeting point in a revolution is that even a match lighter is a hero because without him you may never start," he said. Gayane is upset that history is taking a different shape as he knows it.
"I don't really know the cause of the president's statement but as Lucky Dube chants, you must acknowledge those who give you a hand as you climb a ladder because you surely need them when you are up there. I refer Mr President to read very carefully the book, "Anthills of the Savanah," by Chinua Achebe.
Dr Aggrey of Achimota in Ghana also wrote that if you want to play the piano properly you have to [strike] both black and white keys, so Mr President you need both the historicals and late comers," he wrote in a letter to The Monitor.
Museveni claims in his statement that after the Nachingwea failure, they disagreed with Ruzindana and separated.
"Our final disagreement was in a meeting in Mombasa. I separately worked to rebuild the organisation. This was in 1974," he said.
But Gayane disagrees.
"The meeting in Mombasa, I think took place in 1975 and not 1974 because I happened to be around Mombasa at Nyali when I met the President. Although I was not allowed in but Dr Bisase may be able to shade some light here. But both Comrade Ruzindana and Comrade Kategaya were not there because I asked for them particularly," he said.
Gayane says the message one gets from Museveni's statement seems to `show you as a Tarzan, a solo actor on stage or the Lone Ranger I used to watch on television.
"Because one time you said you have no friends and that even this self exiled Col. Kizza Besigye did nothing during NRA bush days. Comrade President every Ugandan might have contributed in different ways to put you in the fame either positively or negatively. So you should appreciate them as time was and is still on your side," he wrote.
The Fronasa link
According to Sunday Monitor investigations some of the Fronasa members are: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, James Karambuzi, Joseph Bitwari, Col. Kahinda Otafiire, Haruna Kibuye, Zubairi Bakari, Abbas Kibazo, Samuel Kagulire Kasadha, Maumbe Mukhwana, Eriya Kategaya, David Kagoro, Rubereza Nkuranga (RIP) Ahmed Sseguya (RIP), Chef Ali (RIP) Augustine Ruzindana, James Kanagwa, Abwolo Malibo, Valeriano Rwaheru, Martin Mwesiga (RIP), William Mwesigwa a.k.a Mwesigwa Black (RIP), Ruhakana Rugunda.
Museveni like most of the other comrades used pseudo names. Museveni was variously known as Musa, Kassim Mugarura or Abdullah Mugarura. Front for National Salvation (Fronasa) was started by Tanzanian based exiles including Museveni to fight against Idi Amin.
Its members received training alongside Frelimo fighters. Frelimo was fighting against Portuguese rule in Mozambique. Training bases were in Tanzania as president Nyerere was at the forefront of total liberation of Africa from colonial rule.
Chef Gayane's story
Gayane who was one of the recruits claims in November 1971, he left his school that in Nairobi after the 'O' level exams and headed down to Dar-es-Salaam via Moshi.
"In Moshi Rev. Fr. Chris Okoth welcomed me with two other boys. We stayed with him for one week, after which we headed to Dar es Salaam. In Dar, we were all promptly put in a police cell because we were not escorted or under the UPC or any other group leadership. Me and my friend Ranga Johnson were DP children by birth, the other boy Juma was a Kenyan," he said.
"After being questioned for about three days by SSP HakaHaka, we were transferred to Panagala Refugee Camp in Tabora on or about December 5th.
Here there were refugees from RSA (South Africa), Namibia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Congo and late comers from Burundi. Uganda refugees were five, three of us, Mzee Keera of DP and Mzee Mpambara of UPC but who stayed for only one week and left for Dar.
Late December 1971 after Christmas, the late Victor Amanya and David Kagoro came to the camp and we had a lengthy discussion about the struggle for our motherhood.
We asked Mzee Keera who was our mentor and he was from Masaka, he told me not to go until he finds out which group was being fronted by the two youths. So Victor and David left with Juma. Mzee Keera had feared these guys to be UPC scouts. By January we found out that, they were indeed not UPC but a group known as Fronasa. Ranga Johnson remained in Pangale and helped UNHCR with work until 1982 when he came back to Uganda and he is very much alive in Kampala.
Mzee Keera passed away later.
I left Tabora again in early January 1972 for Dar. On arrival I was accommodated in the Ocean View Hotel, facing Oyster Bay. I also found Mzee Mpambara staying next door Hotel known as Etien Hotel and Comrade Musa (as President Museveni was known then) in Palm Beach.
All these hotels were next to each other in Upanga Estate next to Sebender Bridge. Other prominent Ugandans who had houses in the area were the late President Tito Okello and Professor Dani Wadada Nabudere.
Before long, David Kagoro left us in Dar for a mission home from which he never came back.
He was among the 12 or so nationalist fighters who were executed by firing squad of then president Idi Amin in 1972. After staying in the Hotel for about two months a group of us were shipped to southern Tanzania, a place known as Nachingwea.
This is where Frelimo had its headquarters and training camp. This camp was very big and very, very busy with military training not only for Frelimo but also for other freedom fighters. We were supposed to be here for three months but we stayed for over a year.
The conditions were hard at the camp but we survived.
In the camp we met Comrade Jack Maumbe Mukhwana and Comrade John Ruzindana; who were our political Commissars. Some of our Comrades were from Western, Buganda and Eastern but I think only one was from Northern. Most of these Comrades had not gone very far in basic education but they wanted to fight for their motherland, they were patriots.
Comrade Maumbe was not clear when it came to passing on ideas to us young recruits. He seemed not to bother much about it, or was very much preoccupied with other problems.
John Ruzindana was the man of great intellect and scarce of knowledge for us the recruits, very self-controlled individual, sort of reserved but ready to mediate and pass on ideas.
We stayed in difficult times with John and Jack for one year in Nachingwea.
But Museveni never ever joined us except towards the end when Frelimo requested them to come and remove us.
In his statement, Museveni claims the late president Samora Machel asked him to remove the Ruzindana group because of indiscipline.
'Professor' Ruzindana
It was in the camp that John [Ruzindana] was named Professor Owen by the recruits for his vast source of knowledge. Prof Owen was a character in a book "The Ragged Trouser Philanthropists written about the 17th Century Industrial Renaissance in England.
He also made us read books like by authors like Angela Davis, Malcolm X, Marcus, Franz Fanon and many others.
He was the real soul of FRONASA. The face of Fronasa was the ever diplomatic Eriya Kategaya and the leaders were Maumbe and President Museveni. Gayane and late Comrade Fred Rubereza Nkuranga were made the group chefs for the recruits in Nachingwea.
"I stayed with Museveni in his houses i.e. in Shimo la Udongo, Dar and Co-operative College in Moshi. I knew of the Mama Muhoozi [Janet Museveni] struggling to make cottage jam/marmalade to make us survive i.e. both the husband and Victor Amanya. She would personally carry the merchandise to Karioko market to sell," Gayane says.
In Moshi the situation was not much better as the little money Museveni was getting went into buying tickets for recruits and fighters who came to be with him. It was always a posho and beans menu - no teas, bread, cooking oil or any other luxuries.
By the way Museveni forgets Rev. Fr. C. Okoth who helped him to settle in Moshi, he says. This priest was later a Minister of Defence in president Godfrey Binaisa's short-lived government. | 
