Why Rwanda should honour John Kale

Key player. President Kagame committed the 50th Rwanda independence anniversary to its history. On that occasion, Rwanda should have recognised the role of John Kale, a Ugandan-Rwandan and politician, born in Kisoro District, who was deeply committed to Rwanda’s independence politics.

In 1956 John Kale was the International Desk officer at the Uganda National Congress (UNC) headquarters at Katwe and organised Abadehemuka, an association of Ugandan and Rwandan Banyarwanda in Uganda. For Abadehemuka, Kale sought recognition of Rwandan Banyarwanda contribution to colonial agriculture in Buganda and Uganda.
In 1955 Kale, with Hon. Kapa, the then Legislative Council Member for Ankole whose father migrated from Rwanda in 1903, petitioned Governor Cohen, Rwanda Banyarwanda representation in Buganda Lukiiko and Uganda Legislative Council.

In September 1955 Kale was denied a passport for UNC international office travel. He crossed to Rwanda, obtained the travel permit, stayed and organised Tutsi and Hutu negotiations for political reforms before the 1956 Rwanda Local and National Councils indirect elections.

The Belgians questioned Kale’s activities in Rwanda, imprisoned him for illegal politics, falsely obtaining a Rwanda travel document, banned him from Rwanda and deported him to Uganda, where he was prohibited from external travel.

At Bishop Shalita’s consecration, Kale who negotiated Buganda and UNC agreement, brought Umwami Rudahigwa and Hutu leaders before Kabaka Mutesa. Kale urged the Umwami to similarly compromise the Hutu Manifesto and the Tutsi ‘Mise au Point’ and unite Tutsi UNAR Party with Hutu Parmehutu party.

After the Lango bye-elections where Obote became UNC Legislative Council Member, Kale organised a meeting between Umwami Rudahigwa, Tutsi and Hutu leaders with elite Ugandan Banyarwanda, including Adrine Sibo, on the Tutsi-Hutu conflict.
In December 1957, Kale fled to Cairo for the Uganda independence struggle. From Cairo, Kale distributed information about Rwanda’s UN Trusteeship mandate, Belgium colonialism, Tutsi-Hutu unity and independence. Belgians confiscated the documents, imprisoned the distributors; and working with the British in August 1958, information from Kale was banned in colonial Uganda and Rwanda.
From Cairo, Kale went to the UN General Assembly and submitted a petition for the UN Trusteeship to prepare Rwanda-Burundi for independence. Kale successfully defended the Rwanda-Burundi independence petition on November 17, 1958 and December 5, 1958, to start the independence programme.

While Kale was in New York, controversy arose in Uganda over his UNC status, the ‘Africa Freedom Fund’ money he distributed to African anti-colonial political parties, communist source of the money and his domination of the Uganda National Congress. Musazi dismissed Kale.
Although in defending the Rwanda independence petition, Kale claimed that despite being Tutsi, he represented the 1957 ‘Hutu Manifesto’, Hutu-Tutsi hostility was fabricated by colonialism and sought to eliminate the Hutu-Tutsi gap; in December 1958 the Belgians like Musazi, accused the Tutsi Party of receiving communist ‘Africa Freedom Fund’ money and Kale of being pro-Tutsi.
But in Uganda, on January 1, 1959, the UNC dismissed Musazi and reinstated Kale. They installed Obote as UNC stand-in President. On his UPC website, Obote mentions acceptance of caretaker role of UNC President.

In uniting African anti-colonialism, Kale established Pan African Movement for East and Central Africa (PAFMECA). In March 1959, PAFMECA required Rwanda political parties’ unity before accessing ‘Africa Freedom Fund’ money.

But Belgium blocked Rwanda political parties from PAFMECA and communist funds and barred them from the September 1959 PAFMECA conference to prevent the violence which erupted in December 1959.

The December 1959 violence forced thousands of Tutsi and the Umwami to flee into Uganda where they were expelled by colonial authorities. Kale mobilised the UNC to oppose Rwandan expulsion.

In the Legislative Council, Obote read the position of Kale on Banyarwanda refugees in Uganda. Kale dispatched Onyuthi, a Ugandan, and a Kenyan [his former roommate at Makerere] to Rwanda refugees in Congo and Tanganyika.

In Uganda, Otema Alimadi was prevented on January 16, 1960 from flying with Hutu and Tutsi leaders to meet Kale in Cairo over the Rwanda crisis. But Kale was too committed to Rwanda because when in Cairo, in September 1958, he planned the Uganda National Movement (UNM) and the Congolese National Movement (MNC) of Patrice Lumumba, he included Rwandan Banyarwanda in Uganda and Congo.

Earlier in January 1954, with Paulo Muwanga and Paulo Senngendo in the UNC Youth League, they resolved to militarily prevent the April 4, 1954 Queen Elizabeth cerebration of 60 years of British rule but did not trust Christians and Baganda with secret activities. They used Muslims and Banyarwanda, organised by Kale, to raid for guns and prevent the colonial rule cerebrations.
Kale had many issues on Rwanda. He told the UN that Rwanda had no political borders and its people historically moved to and from within the region. That the Rwanda problem was political borders imposition and rearing Rwandans as labourers for Belgians in Congo. On another occasion Kale explained that the words ‘Hutu’ and ‘Tutsi’ were not tribes but words derived from Bantu language, meaning people and country.
The commitment Kale had to Rwanda should have been recognised during its 50 years independence anniversary. Whether it was due to Pan-Africanism or because of being a Ugandan Munyarwanda, Kale loved Rwanda.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com