NRM BUSH WAR MEMORIES: I was declared dead on radio, says Col. Kuteesa

Col. Pecos Kuteesa was among the first five bush war commanders. When Kampala fell in January 1986, he commanded the first battalion that marched through Jinja road. His book about “how it all happened in the five-year guerrilla warfare” is due for publication. Holding the 180-page manuscript, he recounted his role to William Tayeebwa:-

After the February 6, 1981 attach of Kabamba training school by Yoweri Museveni’s group, I realized my chances of survival in the government army were slim. I therefore started to plan deserting. My chance to escape came on February 21, 1981.

On that day, a regiment signal officer, one Sgt. Emirio, came running to me saying there was a message from general headquarters instructing whoever cited me to arrest and take me to general headquarters.

I knew that few, who had been taken there, apart from Salim Saleh, had survived. I therefore decided to desert the army without a clear destination in mind.

I jumped into the first Peugeot 504 pick-up truck going to Kampala and ended up in Bugolobi barracks where most of the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) boys were stationed.

Urban terrorism

While in Kampala, I was introduced to the concept of urban terrorism by now retired Brigadier Matayo Kyaligonza. He had a smooth operating team composed of the late Benjamin Muhanguzi nicknamed Dampa, the late Shaban Kashanku and the late Joy Mirembe, a lady who was also instrumental at the beginning of the struggle.

One of the operations I participated in was an attempt to blow up an Agip fuel depot. As a former urban terrorist, I still do not understand why the city planners put all the main petrol depots in one suburb in Namuwongo.

If we had succeeded in blowing up the Agip tank, then Shell, Caltex and Total would have been caught in fire. As luck may have it, the tank was empty and only a bright frame went up setting fire sirens on. For us, that was enough damage to send a message that there were people unhappy with the regime.

After the fuel tank attack, we started planning how to blow up the Kampala water reservoir in Muyenga. Our leader Yoweri Museveni discouraged us from the idea. His reasoning was that when we blow up Muyenga, the whole town would be flooded and the most highly affected place would be Mulago government hospital. He told us it would be self-defeating for freedom fighters to cause harm to the very people they seek to protect.

Off to the bush

On the day I was supposed to go, I met a group of soldiers guarding Bazilio Olara Okello’s shop and approached their leader John Mugume, now colonel.

I asked him if he was willing to go with me to the bush to which he said he was going to consult and asked me to come back after lunch. Despite the risk, I came back at around 3.00 p.m. and found Mugume with his group of seven ready to go.

We jumped into a pickup driven by Kyaligonza and set off for the bush from Nkrumah road in broad daylight and passed through several roadblocks.

We joined our comrades on March 30, 1981. This was a great day in my life because it is then that I regained my initiative, which had always been suppressed for long.