Gen Gwanga retired to solitary life

Gen Kasirye Gwanga in jovial mood during an interview at his farm in Mityana last year. PHOTO BY PHIONAH NASSANGA

What you need to know:

  • The year that Gen Kasirye Gwanga enrolled at Fort Leavenworth in the US for a senior command course.
  • Advice . “Be prepared for loneliness. When you retire and you are given a package like the one I got, expect people to run to you expecting you to give them some money. However, have a plan for that money. I also advise people to stay away from bank loans. Prepare for your old age because when you grow old people feel you are less important and if they know you have a billion behind you they will give you fake audience. The youth looking for jobs in towns should return to the villages and practice mechanised farming. Agriculure is the best job creator,” Gen Kasirye Gwanga.

After 47 years of serving the Ugandan army, in 2018 Maj Gen Kasirye Gwanga 67, officially retired to concentrate on commercial farming. He owns two farms, one in Mukono District and another in Mityana District which he refers to as Camp David I and II respectively. When not any where in the media, Gen Gwanga lives a quiet life at his Mityana farm where he has built a two-bedroom retirement.
However, at the mention of the title retired Major General, what you expect is a big mansion, but at the look of things it seems different with the retired General. His is an isolated circular house which he shares with his two dogs. Once there, you cannot miss the view of Lake Wamala.

At the sound of our vehicle stopping in his yard, clad in a blue overall and an army cap, Gen Gwanga flings his door open and gets out.
As his two dogs run towards us, he sparks a stick of a Rex cigarette puffing away, he welcomes us and offers us chairs which we carry up to a mango tree shade.
“This is my house, but being a news reporter I know my house is going to be your major area of interest. I can build a better house in the city, but what for. This is simple but it contains everything Kampala Serena Hotel can have. It has full time DSTV, I watch BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera and can communicate with whoever I want a round the world,” Gen Gwanga says.

Asking him to tell me about his life as a retired Major General, Kasirye Gwanga seems hesitant.
“My life is my life, I am writing a book so I am not going to tell you a lot. I want you to ask me about your present political situation,” he states as he tries to throw a flash back in to his golden days.

Army days
Gen Kasirye Gwanga speaks of his days in the army with pride. “My life is dangerous; I joined the army in 1972 when I was just 20-years-old. The then president Idi Amin Dada posted me in the West Nile. I was with Brigadier Gen Mark Kodili Ayiasi and by far, we were the youngest. In 1979 I was arrested in Tanzania,” he says.
“Gen Kodili is one of the few honest and professional army officers I have worked with. No wonder he is a Sandhurst-trained army officer,” adds Gen Gwanga. Gwanga has served in different army posts for almost all government regimes. However, he believes “they” have made this generation.

A generation he says still ignorant about politics. “You are the young ones we have made and you are asking President Museveni to leave power!! I still remember how the country was when we took over power in 1986,” he says.

Preparing for retirement
As a government servant, Gen Gwanga knew that one day he would retire from public service. His first retirement came in 2005. He was retired from the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) at the rank of brigadier. However, after three months he came back to the military on a renewable contract. Looking at a bigger context of his retirement Gen Gwanga embraced farming much early. However, he says salary loans put him in a better position to prepare for this time.
“A salary loan is way better than other loans because you do not feel its impact as money is being deducted directly from your salary. Before you know the loan is complete.”

Gen Kasirye Gwanga’s retirement house in Mityana.

Fight against deforestation
Other than focusing on his farm, Gwanga is also devoting his efforts in fighting forest encroachers in his region. As a retired soldier he is leading the crusade to restore the depleted forest cover.
“Why I fight people destroying the forests is because these forests harboured us during the war. Besides that, natural wells and swamps are drying up and shortage of water is becoming one of the major problems in our region. Today people are ferrying dirty water from one of the swamps here.”

Gwanga says he does not care what society thinks of him shooting at people who he finds destroying the indigenous trees replacing them with eucalyptus. “We need to protect our own, in Moyo District where Gen Kodili lives residents have no tolerance for any person who cuts down trees, and they protect their own. But here, we are cutting down trees like it is a bonanza and no one comes out to fight this. Those that would are afraid,” he says.

Building a legacy
“Today I do not just misuse my money, I have set up Kasirye Gwanga Foundation. This foundation has all my property and businesses and in case I pass on my name will still stand. I am not thinking of writing a Will because why would someone inherit what they did not work for. This foundation will carry on my legacy and my grandchildren will live to remember who their grandfather was.”

Family time
Many grandparents prefer spending time with their children, however it’s quite different with Gen Gwanga.
“I do not stay with my grandchildren because most of them are not in the country. Besides, I am not ready for any noise. Children are quite disturbing and as far as I remember I did not grow up with my grandparents. All I ever did was to pay them a visit. Children are naughty, at one time I was watching TV and my grandchild decided to switch to some other channel she wanted, I was forced to beat her up, but it was like I had committed a big offence. It is better I let them stay with their parents,” he says.
“My family here is the two dogs. They give me good company,” he adds as he cuddles one of the dogs named Kampala.

Free time
When not at the farm, the general goes hunting.
“I trap small antelopes, birds and bushbucks among others. This, I sometimes do with friends.”
However, much as he likes Afrigo Band, today he fears going to any of the concerts fearing he may be invaded by the “young ones” who may steal from him. “I gave up on social life. I actually feel refreshed here in the forests with my dogs.”

Politics
“If I tell you this young generation cannot take power today, I know what I am talking about. In our times we were not wild people, but today this generation is out of control and do not respect their elders, referring to us as analogue. Who can trust such a generation? I have known Bobi Wine (aka Robert Kyagulanyi) for some time now and we are friends. So when I tell you this boy cannot take on Uganda today, I know what I am talking about.”

Regret
“I regreted joining Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) the day Andrew Kayiira (RIP) run away from us. At that time the rebellion was at its apex. We were told our leader was in the US eating sausages with Americans while the boys in the jungles died like grasshoppers,” said Gen Gwanga. With other senior UFM officers including Gen Hussein Adda (rtd), Gen Kodili (rtd), Gwanga joined NRA in 1986 after Kampala was captured.