Uganda Daily Eye

How I remember Idi Amin in my primary school days

3 Votes

President Siad Barre of Somalia cuts a tape to change the name of Coryndon Street to Said Barre Avenue. At the back is president Idi Amin Dada, while on the extreme right is the minister of foreign affairs, mr. Wanume-Kibedi

Hi guys and ladies,

Here is my beautiful encounter with Idi Amin (RIP). In the late 70's on our way from the pre-primary school (which by the way had no name and was located in someone's garage) this big bird we then called "olcopter" flew over our heads. Me and my friend quickly decided that going home could wait. We quickly ran to the field where this "olcopter" would land. The field was just behind our flat in the centre of Masaka Town. Guess it was not a proper airfield or air strip. But helicopters landed there several times. In the house where I lived we were never allowed to venture downstairs and out for even a second. On this God given day, I got an opportunity to follow the big bird. Although the noise was ear wracking, the rotating thing on top of the bird was most exciting. The big bird was hovering in the air for some time. I don't know whether the pilot was just worried that the two kids were in the way of the copter or he was still enjoying the air. Possibly his fears were unfounded, because the more the bird lowered the more we ran farther away from that terrible noise. Soon the noise reduced in intensity and we drew nearer to see this magnificent "olcopter".

A small door was flung open and a very tall, heavy set military man climbed out. He came towards us smiling and laughing. He lifted us in turns and threw us high in the air. But even after this exhilarating throw in the air our eyes remained on the "olcopter". So beautiful and attractive was this machine but also very scaring to approach. We did not even pay attention to the jeeps and other cars that came and picked the man who was already happily walking towards the town centre. All our attention was on the "olcopter".

Don't ask what time we left for home. All I remember is that we remained at the field untill the "olcopter" took off. It lifted off without the tall man it had brought. When it disappeared we also decided to go home. I didn't know what was waiting for me at home. It now dawned on me that we had spent half the day at the field and they had looked all over the place for me. The only place they had not checked was the field where the big bird had landed.

What followed needs no explanation to an African. I never like to remember how many strokes of the cane I got on my body that day. The canes were followed with the mentoring to repeat the "words never to go near the President ever again". What started as an exciting experience with the big bird ended in tears and mentoring not go near a person called President. From that day and the years of my life that followed, I thought the word "President" was that tall man's name. I learnt my lesson well. Up today I don't like being near people they call Presidents. Presidents are supposed to be bad people. If Presidents were good people why then was I punished for having taken the honour of receiving the President of Uganda at that field in Masaka town on that beautiful sunny day???? Hahaha! Later on in life l came to learn that the man who gave me that exciting throw into the air was by then the President of the Republic of Uganda. Despite that realization I still do not associate with green cars, green copters and people who were green uniform; because if I do that would mean that the sticks I got as kid were not enough (emigo tegyanoga). Presidents are to be avoided. They cause one problems. May the ALMIGHTY ALLAH forgive our brother and parent, Idi Amin for his shortcomings and grant him Jana in the life after death.

Dr.Ibra Ssendagire.
USA

Allaah gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him."And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things." (6:17)

Folks, a must read M7 could not provide the required number of graduated tax receipts for entry at Makerere University, the question is why couldn't he?

Copied from somewhere

"If dead men could be back to confirm their stories! Here is one by a man who was once a representative of Uganda to the Middle East, Member and Acting Chairman of the Central Scholarship Committee in the Ministry of Education, Member of the once powerful National Association for the Advancement of Muslims (NAAM) in the 1960s; Deputy Chief Kadhi of Uganda to Sheikh Obeid Kamulegeya in the early 1980s; and Member of the Presidential Policy Commission of UPC in the early Millennium. This man is called the late Annas Kinyiri.

One day he received a note from President Apollo Milton Obote when he was acting as Chairman of the Central Scholarship Committee. The one with the note was a student eager to join Makerere University. Those days one had to submit 10 copies of one's Graduated tax tickets to be considered for admission to Makerere. In the note the President was asking the Committee to create an avenue for Yoweri Museveni to join Makerere without producing Graduated tax tickets because he could not produce them adding, "I want him to join Makerere because he is one of my UPC youth wingers who qualifies but he cannot meet the requirement of 10 graduated tax tickets". Graduated tax tickets were used to prove one's citizenship and belonging or locality.

As expected Annas Kinyiri surmoned members of his committee to consider the President's request. When the committee met it overwhelmingly rejected the request saying regulations must be strictly observed.

And that was what Annas Kinyiri put in the sealed letter, which Yoweri Museveni took to the President. When the Preident read it he wrote another one making another plea to Kinyiri, which Yoweri Museveni again dcelivered to him. After reading the note Annas Kinyiri again convened the committee to resolve the matter. The committee softened and decided that the student produces 5 Graduated tax tickets. That was what Kinyiri communicated to the President in a sealed letter. The Pesident realised he could not get what he wanted because of the strict regulation of producing Gradated Tax tickets. He had to think of plan B quickly. And there it was.

According to Annas Kinyiri the President wrote a letter to his counterpart in Tanzania, Julius Kambarage Nyerere, who was Chancellor of the University of Dar-es-Salaam, asking him to influence the university authorities to admit 5 of his young men for various degree courses. One of the young men was Museveni. Another was Muntuyera. The five were admitted, thanks to Nyerere's intervention.

In 1987, Annas Kinyiri was summoned, together with other Basoga elders that included a former Katikiiro of Busoga, WW Mwangu, to a meeting at Belleview Hotel. It was arranged by Kirunda Kivejinja. It was to introduce the new President, Yoweri Museveni, to influential Basoga elders. According to Annas Kinyiri, the President arrived with a gun on his shoulders. Kinyiri openly expressed his disgust that a son of a Mukopi was President and added, "When a country is ruled by bakopi then that country has no future". According to Kinyiri, even Mwangu expressed the same sentiments. When President Museveni told Kinyiri that he was appointing him to be Uganda's representative again in the Middle East, he declined. When the meeting was dissolved, the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, ordered the immediate arrest of Kinyiri and Mwangu. They were whisked off to Gaddafi Army Barracks. Later they were moved to Luzira, where Kagata Namiti and Paulo Muwanga were also incarcerated.

According to Kinyiri he was in Luzira until 1989 without trial. When he was released, he learn't that it was because of the intervention of the International Committee of the Red Cross. It had been contacted by the Uganda Christian Prisoners Aid Foundation led by a one Macharios Ayub. the Red Cross sent a delegation to Uganda. Government allowed it to access Kinyiri. It later asked Government to release Kinyiri. He was, but then he was immediately arrested and whisked off to Kirinya Prison in Jinja on accusation of being a member of Force Obote Back (FOBA). He was to be in Kirinya Prison until 1999 when the President sanctioned his release.

When he came out of Prison he was bitter because he never knew of the existence of FOBA and believed it was the creation of Government to incarcerate him.

Curiously, in his own words, Kinyiri was more bitter with Obote than with Museveni because he believed it was because he declined to respond to the note Obote sent to him to endorse Museveni's admission to Makerere without his father's Graduated tax tickets that he had been incarcerated.

When Obote heard that Kinyiri was out of Prison, he sent the former Chairman of UPC, who later converted to NRM, the late Badru Wegulo, to Jinja to bring the Sheikh to Kampala so that they could talk to one another on phone. Obote was in exile in Lusaka, Zambia.

When he was sure he was talking to Obote, Kinyiri told him that he was the cause of his suffering because he had sent Museveni to him when he knew he (Kinyiri) could never bend the regulations. Obote apologised and in 2000 appointed Kinyiri to membership of the Presidential Policy Commission of the UPC.

Kinyiri passed on about 5 or 6 years ago with his principles, ethics and morality and with forgiveness, but not before telling me this story.

The elderly are depositories of knowledge and information. I learn't that early in my life. I would never let old people hoad knowldge that would enhance my own in case they passed it on to me. So Kinyiri was one of the valuable resources that I would never let go without benefiting from. in terms of knowledge. He knew a lot about the Middle East. He had been involved in seeing that our children get educated. He was a politician. He had been a religious leader. He had been a teacher too. And he was a successful family man. Besides, he was an honest man who loved the truth. May his Soul Rest in Peace.

I have also become of age. I am sure those who have associated with me, and have been curious and inquisitive enough, have gained a lot of knowledge from me.

I appeal to all the elderly of Uganda to pass on knowledge that can help us know ourselves and country better. Knowledge is power. Where there is no knowledge people will suffer from ignorance, and ignorance is the worst disease of humanity. It knows no bounds.

For God and My Country."

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Bebe Cool comes to the rescue of girl with skin disorder

Bebe Cool is back in the country after his visit to the US that saw him check on his US based mom and also hold musical talks with Jason Derulo.

While there, Just like Montana landed on a clip of the Ghetto kids on YouTube, Bebe Cool also came across a clip of this young girl from Iganga who was having a bad skin problem that has left her head in a very bad shape.

He ordered that the girl be brought to Mulago Hospital and the good news is, the doctors confirmed they could handle the problem. It's not the first time Bebe Cool is doing this. Seven years back, he did a similar thing to a girl who developed problems following a tooth extraction [Girl Badly Needs Help, Bebe comes to her Rescue] and right now, he has been very instrumental with Kayla, the little girl who is need of shs 180million for an operation in India.

"Her condition is called Cutis Verticis Gyrata. It's a genetic skin disorder as the doctors tell me, but I ask them if we can have her operated on. Am happy the doctors said yes and we are about to have this operation to see if we can save a life,restore her confidence and self esteem and may be make a doctor out of her, " Bebe Cool noted.

Bebe Cool also went to Nsambya hospital to check on Danz Kumapeesa, the producer for his Mbozi Za Malwa song, his condition is precarious.

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