NRM BUSH WAR MEMORIES: Lt. Col. Mwesigye was a rebel twice over

Fortunately enough he joined us as it was getting to 4 a.m. As we approached Kabamba we stopped and made a plan. We said the first people go in the car. Sam Magara, Julius Chihandae, Mule Muwanga, myself, Suicide Katungi, Ndayondi, Paul Kagina. We were seven. We got into the small car, a saloon.

Our mission was to attack the armoury. We were supposed to bypass the lorry as it is negotiating with quarter guard man. When the lorry was there we came and actually passed it. As we passed, I think [Elly] Tumwine maybe got a misunderstanding with the quarter guard fellow and he fired – the first bullet. When he fired, the corporal who was guarding the armoury – we were actually seeing him outside – ran into the armoury and started firing.

Then we started firing with our small arms. We had an RPG. We fired it there. It didn’t help us. When we started firing, of course, people were fleeing. Our contacts [inside Kabamba barracks] reorganised, they came, like [Sgt. Patrick] Kato and brought the vehicles – Land Rovers. We had expected to load some guns but the man became very stubborn at the armoury. We reorganised and fought but we couldn’t [dislodge him] because he was strategically positioned inside the armoury. Until our leader said, ‘let’s leave this mission.’

But we had managed to collect about 43 guns and some ration, some vehicles, and we destroyed the communication system. We went raiding police stations on our way until we got to Kiboga. We stayed in Mzee Kagulire’s place – on a hill overlooking Kiboga. The following day we attacked Kiboga Police Station and got guns. There was no resistance. We were now about 43. From there, we went to another place and formed sections.

My section with Kashanku, Ngoboka, Aine, Hannington Mugabi – who was in charge of the section – was tasked to go and ambush vehicles on Hoima Road and blow up Kafu bridge. But we didn’t have the weapons to blow up the bridge. We tried and failed but we managed to cause some traffic confusion on that Hoima Road. We blocked some vehicles between Kiboga and Hoima. This was about three days after attacking Kiboga.

We reorganised in Lwamata hills. Some people had actually got desperate. But our leader, Museveni, said those who were a bit unsure of what was taking place, those who would like to go back have the freedom to do so. He said, ‘those who would like to go back, line up here. Those who want to stay, line up here.’ So we lined up. Those who wanted to go were given money and they went. They got problems on the way. They were arrested in Ngoma and put in Luzira, where we found some of them. Others came back. That’s how we started operations.

Recruits flood in

About April we got some other recruits. We became bigger and formed companies. There was Nkrumah company where I was put in charge. We were about 100. Some intellectuals like Sserwanga-Lwanga, Sande Mukuru, had actually come by that time. I went with 43 intellectuals in my group into the Singo area and started training. We made a network stretching from Bombo Road to Hoima Road.

My unit was specifically tasked with training because it was in the rear. It was not involved in fighting unless we were attacked. My main duty was to receive recruits and train them. Once in a while we would carry out raids to get more weapons. We benefited a lot from ambushes.

Then I was joined by Emmy Ekyaruhanga, Peter Kerim. These were trained soldiers. We recruited [Kerim] and he helped in training. Rubereza Rukuranga joined me [and later] took over the command of that unit with Tadeo Kanyankole. I went to Mondlane and joined Jim Muhwezi in Mugogo in Kapeeka areas as second-in-command. Then I went to Matugga and worked there for some time.

At that time we were expanding and more units were being created. So we needed a lot of political work: fighting, mobilising, fighting. But we fought only selected battles.

Then we planned to attack Kabamba again [in May 1983]. I went with one group to divert the attention of the enemy. We went to areas of Bugerere, Nakasongola, Bamugolode. We took the sick, the recruits, the wananchi – so that the mobile force that was supposed to attack Kabamba was light. Unfortunately that attack aborted somehow.

So we planned another attack, [which took place on New year’s Day 1985]. By that time we had grown. We had vehicles. We now formed departments. At one time I was a deputy director of intelligence to Jim Muhwezi.

We then planned to go to Rwenzori to open the western axis. So we separated. We left the fighting group under Saleh. Myself, David Tinyefuza, Kahinda Otafiire, Fred Rwigyema, Muhwezi, we led the western axis and travelled for 30 days [starting on March 30] from Matugga to the Rwenzori Mountains The enemy was following us with a plane.

As we were crossing the Fort Portal-Kasese road at a place called Kasunganyanja, the enemy heavily attacked us. We were very tired, hungry but also very angry. We had a very formidable force. We were over 1,000. We captured very many weapons: anti-aircraft, RPGs, machineguns, katyushas. Most of them were mounted on UEB Land Rovers. Some of the guns we didn’t even know how to use. So we pulled them up to the mountains and reorganised ourselves. We had a lot of support in that area – Fort Portal. We made contact with UNLA forces and some of them came and joined us.