The military coup of 1985

Back in time. The Obote II regime, that assumed control in 1980, was toppled in a military coup in 1985. This was after the army became weary when the highly capable Maj. Gen. Oyite-Ojok died in a helicopter accident at the end of 1983. A split along ethnic lines was inevitable, resulting into a coup, writes Samuel Oduny

It was on Saturday July 27, 1985 at around midday when an announcement came through on Radio Uganda that the Uganda Peoples Congress government had been overthrown by a faction of the army in northern Uganda commanded by Brig. Bazilio Okello.

Before the coup, there had been friction in the administration of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) for several months. After the death of Maj. Gen. David Oyite-Ojok, President Obote, who was the Commander-in-Chief, was in a dilemma regarding who to appoint as new Chief of Staff to replace the fallen fighter.

His interest was to appoint Col. Maruru who had a better academic background, since he had been educated to a level of university and undergone a proper airforce and infantry course up to Staff College. Col. Maruru joined the airforce in 1965 and was commissioned in 1967. On many occasions, his files were summoned to the Defence Council for scrutiny as the search for the Chief of Staff continued.

Brig. Smith Opon Acak also had proper academic papers. He joined the army in 1968 after Higher School with a combination of double mathematics and physics from Teso College, Aloet.

Brig. Acak was one of the Cadets sent to Greece for a six-year cadet-training course specialising in tanks and armoured personnel carrier (APC). He returned to Uganda in 1972 during Idi Amin and was commissioned to the rank of Lieutenant. He was later promoted to Captain and posted to Kabamba Infantry Cadet School as an instructor. Brig. Acak also underwent training at military staff colleges in the Soviet Union and USA.

The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Tito Okello, finally recommended and advised President Obote to appoint Brig. Acak to replace Gen. Oyite-Ojok as the Army Chief of Staff of UNLA.
The appointment of Brig. Acak really embarrassed Brig. Bazilio Okello, who being the next senior officer to Gen. Tito Okello, had hoped he would be appointed to that office, despite the fact that he had never undergone any formal military training.

Bazilo was one of the ex-service soldiers recalled for service in 1965 during the Uganda-Congolese war. He first served in the Kings African Rifles during the Mau Mau riots in Kenya in the early 50s.He was later demobilised and was already at home when he was recalled.

After the Uganda-Congolese border conflicts and the 1966 Buganda crisis, the situation was calm. In 1967 Bazilo was one of the Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCO) commissioned to the rank of Captain. He was then posted to Moroto, where he was again deployed as company commander at Kabong; that was why he managed to escape to Sudan when Amin took the government.

After the Liberation War, Bazilo was promoted from Captain to Liuetenant Colonel and appointed a brigade commander in Kampala. Later, he was promoted to Brigadier and posted to Gulu as a Brigade Commander-north.

Bazilio was associated with the Democratic Party and that was why, after the death of Oyite-Ojok, the DP saw it as an opportunity for their man to be appointed as the next Army Chief of Staff.
This can now bring us to what really brought the coup of 1985.

A few months before the coup, the Army Shop had resolved that nobody, whether a soldier or a civilian, was allowed to buy goods from the shop in large quantities. This resolution came in a meeting with the manager and officials of the Army Shop and was in the presence of the CDF and the Chief of Staff, Brig. Acak.

It was further resolved that the Quartermaster General of the Army should buy the commodities from the army shop and then distribute them to the areas of operation in Luweero and other units.
Army Shop was an enterprise of the Ministry of Defence where soldiers had access to commodities cheaply.

Surprisingly, a few days after the meeting on the Army Shop, a letter was brought to the manager of the Army Shop written by the CDF, directing Ogenga Otunnu the younger brother of Mr Olara Otunnu who by then was the Guild President of Makerere University, to buy from the Army Shop 200 cartons of bar soap and 200 crates of beer and other items. All these goods could be bought cheaply from the Army Shop but could then be sold outside at a very profitable price.
When the Army Shop Manager received that letter, it prompted him to contact the Army Chief of Staff for advice.The Chief of Staff rushed to the Army Shop behind Bulange, which was the Army Headquarters by then.

Another reason for the coup?
When he saw the letter, Brig. Acak rejected it and this annoyed Gen. Tito Okello. That was one of the reasons for the coup of 1985. Conspiracies then escalated in the army among some Acholi officers. Ogenga Otunnu, as an academician, had a lot of influence outside the army and together with DP, worked to ensure that the UPC government was overthrown.

The tension in the UNLA was going on in Kampala when President Obote was on a serious campaign in eastern Uganda because the next year, 1986, was the year for another General Election.
DP was very sure of overthrowing the government because while Obote was reading the Budget of 1985 as the Minister of Finance, the DP members walked out of Parliament in protest.

Lt. Col. John Ogole was overall commader of the operation in Luwero against the National Resistant Army (NRA). One day Col. Ogole went to the army headquarters in Kampala, leaving Lt. Col. Kennedy Kilama in charge. Col. Kilama commanded an extended line of troops from Katikamu Tactical Headquaters to go inside the villages, killing, literary, any living thing. When Col. Ogole returned, he found many innocent people had been killed. The order made by Col. Kilama made Col. Ogole to write to the Chief of Staff to transfer Col. Kilama back to his mother unit Tororo where he was the Commanding Officer. Lt. Col. Eric Odwar was deployed to replace Col. Kilama as the second in command; a thing the Acholi saw as open tribalism on the part of of the Langi.

Hostilities continued in the army between the Acholi and the Langi. In Kampala, there were some Armoured Personnel Carriers at Makindye under the command of Capt. Ocero Nagai. He ordered the removal of the APC from Makindye to Mbuya without the knowledge of the Chief of Staff. Capt. Nagai’s plan was to drive the APC to Radio Uganda and announce a coup. But the Army Chief of Staff went to Mbuya and removed the APCs. That was why the Vice President, Paul Muwanga, described the incident as uncoordinated movement of troops.

Another incident that intensified the tension between Lango and Acholi was when the Chief of Logistics and Engineering, Col. Langoya had gone to Germany for treatment. When he returned, he went straight to Lamwo in Kitgum District without reporting to the Chief of Staff that he had returned from abroad. When the Chief of Staff heard of that, he was so much embarrassed that he ordered for Col. Langoya’s sacking.

Hatred escalated
The hatred between the Acholi and the Langi escalated when two Langi officers, Maj. Olwol and Lt. Okabo from Makindye bombed houses of officers like Ocero Nagai at Bugolobi and that of Lt. Col. Obonyo at Entebbe, without any order from the Chief of Staff. The Northern Brigade moved very fast from Gulu to Kampala. Without any order, the young officers entered Radio Uganda and announced a coup when Bazilo the Brigade Commander, was still in Gulu with some DP members.

Soldiers went on rampage in Kampala, looting all the shops and show rooms, especially those that were selling vehicles. Looting went on in residential areas and embassies as well.
Since the announcement was made childishly, Col. Maruru was called to correct the mistakes already done by some junior officers.The previous announcement had not stated the reasons for the coup. Col. Maruru made a fresh announcement while closing the borders and the airport. All officers were summoned to Standard Hotel opposite Apollo Hotel by then. Bazilo arrived in in the night and made the announcement the following morning, which was Sunday.

General Tito Okello was instated as the Chairman of the Military Commission and Head of State. Running the government became very difficult for Tito Okello when the division between the Acholi of Kigum and Gulu widened. Soldiers from Kitgum were accusing the ones in Gulu of supporting Obote and that was why Lt. Kilama went to Mbale and arrested Brig. Nyero, who was the Brigade Commander, because he hailed from GUlu and supported Obote. All other tribes watched from the side until the military junta of Tito Okello fell by itself.

The Writer was a soldier in the former UNLA and resident of Gulu.