Mt Elgon region: Birth place of the Liberation Struggle

A number of narratives have been told about the struggle that led to the January 26, 1986 march on Kampala, marking the end of the military Junta of Tito Okello Lutwa and the liberation of Uganda by the NRA/NRM. Most narratives however, start with the February 6, 1980 attack on Kabamba military barracks.

However, according to revolutionaries who fought under FRONASA, the struggle dates back to the early 1970s when students were organized by Dan Wadada Nabudere into study groups which later became rebellious to the then Idi Amin dictatorship. 

Chepkongin Ndiwa Chemaswet the chairman of Sebei Historical League (RIP), authored a document narrating the struggle in Sebei and Mt Elgon sub-region and how the area contributed to the struggle.

“In 1966, teachers trained at Kabwangasi and Nyondo Teachers College, under the leadership of Comrade Hon Bartek Sam Sakajja (RIP) introduced progressive politics in Sebei sub-region.

Apart from organizing study groups and distributing revolutionary materials, we also collected used clothes and other materials which were shipped to combatants in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

In 1970, I joined school of Hygiene Mable and for the first time in the history of the schools as a first year, I contested and was elected the President of the School Club.

My government introduced many reforms to the constitution that included opening space for other literature apart from the traditional medical magazine. We continued to work very closely with Comrades Nabudere Dan, Chango Macho, Magode Ikuya and Natolo Masaba.

In 1971, Obote was overthrown by Idi Amin. Myself, Maumbe Mukwana and others from Elgon and Bukedi Regions moved to Nachingewya Gorilla training Camp in Tanzania under FRELIMO command in 1972. We visited Northern Mozambique before returning to Dar-es-Salaam to be briefed by President Samora Macheal, Kamuron Peter, Solimo Sabila, Cherkut Yeko, Chepkwutwo Ndiwa, Mella John. The next day we moved to Bukoba to join the FRONASA struggle.

At Bukoba we met combatants of Kikosi Malum and our commander Yoweri K Museveni and others. Tanzania Security Forces rounded us up and moved us to Tabora to be registered as refugees.

While in Tabora Police Station, led by Museveni, we refused the idea of becoming refugees while Kikosi Malum accepted to be registered as refugees. We decided that Museveni sneaks out of the police station to communicate with the prime minister. Museveni stepped on my shoulder and jumped over the wall.

He later returned with a message, and we were allowed to move to Dar-es- Salaam and booked in different hotels. We were given two weeks to leave Tanzania. I led a group of four through Lunga Lunga, Kwale, Mombasa, Nairobi, Malaba and eventually to Kampala, where we were received by Eria Kategaya (RIP).

In a meeting at Zubairi Bakari’s house, we resolved to go back to our regions to carry out recruitment for training in Uganda. The recruitment in Sebei was easy because of the existing study groups we had established. I went with Comrade Rwaheru upto Kaptum where we recruited three comrades Henry Musobo, William Kaphakan Bukose Ngeywo (RIP) and William Twoyem Namakasa (RIP), who joined Bunya Forest Training Camp in Mayuge.

The information about the training camp at Nunya leaked to Idi Amin’s forces and the camp was attacked. Maumbe Mukwana assisted the trainees to escape to Busiu in Mbale. It was while at Busiu that we heard about the attack on Comrade Museveni and others at House 49 in Maluku Estates, Maumbe’s home.

At the same time, seven Comrades who escaped from Bunya Forest in South Busoga and had been rescued by Comrade Maumbe, on their way to Bududa were arrested and taken to the Military Police barracks in Mbale. They were later driven 16kms on the Mbale-Pallisa road with their hands and legs tied, run over by military vehicle. Three survived while the other four died.

The three survivors were later arrested again and taken to Makindye Militray headquarters in Kampala but fortunately they were later released.

On the day of the attack at House 49, Comrade Maumbe with Comrade William Bukose Kapnakan (RIP) were in Bunginyanya on their way to Maluku when they received news that Maumbe’s house was under attack. Maumbe was driving a lorry belonging to Comrade Masaba which they abandoned at Nkoma, following an exchange of bullets with soldiers that had mounted a roadblock. Two soldiers were killed in the exchange. Later Masaba was arrested and taken to Makindye where he was killed.

Maumbe escaped through Mt Elgon to Kenya while Bukose hid at his father’s home at Namusi. He later came to Ngenge where he joined home guard (police truck force) in 1974, a strategic position in which he served until the collapse of Idi Amin’s regime. He continued to serve in police until 1981 when we re-engaged him into NRM/NRM Elgon operations in Sebei Sub-region.

Bukose later served as the chairman of the Resistance Committee in unliberated zone of Sebei until 2014 when he was knocked dead by a speeding UPDF lorry without lights that was part of the 1st Lady Janet Museveni’s convoy at Chepterer-Ngenge in Kween District. The UPDF has since promised to compensate the fallen comrade but to date nothing has been done.

During the struggle, new routes for communication were set up to supplement the Lwakhakha and Malaba routes. The new routes created included Kanyerusi-Kapenguria-Kitale, Amudat-Kapenguria-Kitale. At Amudat, I set up a sub-post office to facilitate movement of mail like TANU youth league cards in and outside Uganda. These study groups were established in Amudat and Kanyerusi.

Several study groups were established in the above strategic routes, Mbale being central point. Meanwhile, Chango Macho, Magode Ikuya supported by Capt Pipino Okello (RIP) from Kaberamaido and Col Bosco Omure came in to recruit students in Mbale Secondary School to advance FRONASA and study groups.

Students were also recruited for intelligence missions, hiding military equipment and politicians victimized by Amin’s regime. They also acted as guides to FRONASA external wing fighters. Some of the students included Comrades Charles Kurwa (former RDC Alebtong) and Kurong Abdalla, both then students in Mbale Secondary School.

The clandestine work continued until Idi Ami was overthrown by Uganda Forces combined with Tanzanian army in 1979.

The Uganda National Liberation Front administration took charge of the country with several challenges. The overthrow of Godfrey Binaisa ushered in new challenges. One such challenge was the disarmament of militia. Disarmament in Sebei Sub-region meant undermining security of the sub-region.

The disarmament of was spearheaded by UPC in Sebei but targeted the revolution. We resisted the move by UPC and we began an armed struggle. We began by attacking police stations of Bukwo and Kapchorwa where we acquired several rifles and bullets. We set up bases at Kokoyong and Benet.

I also linked up with officials in Kenya President Daniel Arap Moi’s government, who supplied us with explosives, boots and other material which we continued to use to confron the Uganda army bwetween 1980 to 1983.

In 1983, I was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Uganda where I was detained at Upper Luzira prison up to 1986 when Ruhakana Rugunda intervened. Prior to my arrest, we had encouraged Bartile Johnson Toskin (RIP) to contest as MP under UPM and he was rigged out of elections for allegedly not having qualifications.

Politically we were left to support DP candidate Charles Cherop who won the elections against Sam Sakajja Barteka who was instead declared the winner.

Despite my absence and that of Peter Kamuron, Sabila Solimo and Yeko Cherukut, revolutionary work continued in Sebei under the coordination of Bartile Toskin and comrades Kurwa. Chemandwa John, Chepkurkat Labu, Tegeza William took over the leadership of the revolution, making linkages with Mbale and Kenya.

These comrades did commendable work, advancing the revolution to its logical conclusion. The main groups operating in Sebei were UNLF-Anti Dictatorship (UNLF-AD) and NRM/NRA Elgon 13, who were later joined by UFM and FEDEMU. Sebei Sub-region remained liberated after the fall of Lutwa.”