Museveni meets ‘forgotten’ boxing hero after Monitor series

Mr Peter Grace Sseruwagi (L) meets President Museveni at State House Entebbe last week. PHOTO BY PPU

What you need to know:

Protest. Boxing legend Peter Sseruwagi, a supporter of Museveni during the Bush War, had earlier complained of not being compensated for his herd of animals lost to soldiers during president Milton Obote’s regime.

KAMPALA. Peter Grace Sseruwagi is a happy man. At least for now. Following a story in Daily Monitor’s series, ‘Glory Days Gone’, Sseruwagi’s pleas for compensation have caught President Museveni’s attention.
After reading the story, the President invited Mr Sseruwagi for a meeting that took place last Saturday.
“We should look them up or their families and help them, they made a contribution to their country. On account of the insecurity we had and numerous tasks, we did not follow this up. We should now,” President Museveni said.
Light welterweight boxer Sseruwagi, 83, is a 1960s light welterweight legend who had three friendlies with former President Idi Amin and knocked him down each time before becoming his coach.
Mr Sseruwagi told Daily Monitor that President Museveni promised to send a team to his farm on Wednesday and come out with a way forward regarding compensation.
Mr Sseruwagi had complained of not being compensated for his herd of animals lost to soldiers during president Milton Obote’s regime. Mr Sseruwagi was a collaborator who would host and feed Museveni’s fighters during the 1981-1985 Bush War. So the Obote government army decided to punish him by looting his farm that had more than 400 animals, leaving him with nothing.
“Firstly, I would like to thank (Daily) Monitor for the story. Without any doubt, it’s because of that story that the President reached out to me. I am happy he has promised to come out and help me. For now, that’s all I can say. Let’s wait and see,” said a smiling Sseruwagi.
Ms Linda Nabusayi, the President’s deputy press secretary, last Saturday tweeted that President Museveni, while meeting Mr Sseruwagi, acknowledged that Ugandan sports heroes such as Mr Sseruwagi “made a great contribution to their country”.
Mr Sseruwagi is the most successful boxing coach in Uganda’s history. During a coaching career that spanned more than three decades, Ugandan boxers under his tutelage managed to win a total of 95 gold, 75 silver and 54 bronze medals.
In 1974, Mr Sseruwagi was in charge when Ayub Kalule and Joseph Nsubuga won gold and bronze respectively at the inaugural World Amateur Boxing Championships in Havana, Cuba. After the tournament, Uganda was ranked fourth in the world, behind Cuba, the Soviet Union and USA.
For a man who achieved all that, you would expect him to be living a confortable life.
But that has not been the case because the loss of his animals dealt him a huge economic punch.
His pleas to reach out to the President for compensation had not been successful.
In July 2014, Mr Museveni tasked Sports minister Charles Bakkabulindi to look for Mr Sseruwagi. But the minister had not succeeded, until we ran the story last week. With Mr Sseruwagi finally meeting the President, he prays that things will change for the better.
Under his tutelage, Kalule, Eridadi Mukwanga, Francis Nyangweso, Leo Rwabwogo, George Oywello, Mathias Ouma, Muhammed Muruli, Mustafa Wasajja, John “The Beast” Mugabi, Cornelius Boza Edwards, Vitalis Bbege, Vicky Byarugaba, Godfrey Nyakana, Justin “The Ugandan Destroyer” Juuko, Fred Muteweta, Charles Lubulwa and John Munduga became household names who went to challenge for world titles.

Still waiting

As Sseruwagi seems to be getting a shot in the arm, it is a different story for the other former sportsmen whose plight we have also brought to light in the series, “Glory Days Gone”, which climaxes today. These are: John Munduga, Charles Lubulwa, Ibrahim Dafala, Sula Kato, Edris Nyombi, Jimmy Muguwa, Francis Kulabigwo and Andrew ‘Fimbo’ Mukasa

GLORY DAYS GONE