Amin orders public executions to crush rebellions

Residents of Kampala and nearby suburbs watched in disbelief as Clock Tower grounds on Entebbe Road 30 years ago was soaked in human blood following the open execution of 12 people who had been sentenced to death by a military tribunal.
The 12 were tried by different army tribunals for crimes ranging from plotting to overthrow the government of Idi Amin to economic sabotage. All the 12 were executed on Friday September 9, 1977, which also happened to be the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan for that year.
Their death sentence was signed on Wednesday September 7, 1977, at State House by president Amin and witnessed by the tribunal’s chairperson, Lt Col Juma Ali, the Director of Public Prosecutions Francis Ayume (RIP), and the head of military police, Maj Farouk Habib. This followed a trial by the same tribunal which sat at the Kampala City Hall.
After the sentencing in late August, the convicts were taken to Luzira prison where they were kept up to the time of their death.
The 12 men included businessmen, teachers and former government employees.
A few days before the execution, according to The Fort Scott Tribune newspaper, there was no word from Amin as his whereabouts were not being reported on by Radio Uganda, raising speculation that his absence was due to poor health.
But other sources such as the Washington Post newspaper of September 10, 1977, said his silence and disappearance from the public was because of the pressure from presidents William Tolbert of Liberia and Omar Bongo of Gabon, and several Black Muslim leaders who were appealing to him to respect the Muslim holy period and not carry out the executions.

Fateful day
On the fateful day, as the convicts left their cells in Luzira to the Clock Tower, they came chanting “let us die for what we don’t know, for what we have not done, let our blood flow”.
Writing in his book Survival: A Soldier’s Story, Robeson Bennazoo Otim Engur say he had been in Kisenyi, a slum in Kampala, drinking malwa, before he went to the venue of the execution.
He says, “Just after One O’clock that day, the rain clouds gathered from nowhere and without warning the sky opened… It was so heavy that the whole Kampala city flooded. That rain was so bizarre that we all concluded that it was God expressing annoyance and displeasure about the impeding firing squad.”
During the execution, it was only the government’s official cameraman who was allowed to take photographic documentation of the proceedings.
However, according to Engur, the victims were brought in prison vans, escorted by heavily armed military men. At the venue, they were frogmarched from the cars with hoods over their faces and each was led to a metallic pole where they were tied.

Final moments
After the men where fastened on the poles with their hands tied behind their backs, Capt Chandia, who was in charge of preparing the victims, inspected the prisoners one by one to see that all was according to plan.
After his inspection, the Luzira prisons chaplains came forward to give their last blessings. Retired Reverend Canon Job Mbukure, who was the chaplain of Luzira prison, recalls that day.
“It was one of the worst days of my job as a chaplain. Three of those to be executed were known to me personally. One was a friend of mine and a former prisons officer, the other two were known to me outside my work. That connection made it hard for me to say farewell to them,” Mbukure says.
“When time came for them to be taken for execution at Clock Tower, the Catholic priest and I did not want to be there. I left the chaplain’s office and went home within the staff quarters where Rev Kyagaba, who was my mentor into my position, came to my home and insisted that I must go to Clock Tower and see these people off.”
“I reluctantly wore my cassock and went to Clock Tower with him. It was hard seeing what was going to happen to them.”
After the religious blessings, according to Engur’s book, “the firing squad commander started giving orders; ‘take up firing positions’, then he paused while looking at his watch”.
“At exactly Four O’clock the squad commander issued the final command – fire.”
There were three volleys of bullet rounds, but even then, there was one person who did not die.
“One of the accused was definitely still alive. He was shaking his head vigorously. Realising that, the commander ordered all the soldiers to take aim at that one person. He gave the final order for all of them to shoot the one person… and his head dropped immediately.”

Last round
The last round was followed by the inspection of the bodies by the army doctor to confirm that all the prisoners were dead before the ropes were cut from the lifeless bodies.
“After confirmation, each body was put in a coffin and loaded into the prison trucks and taken away,” Engur writes.

First public executions by President

The 1977 killings were not the first public executions carried out in Uganda. Four years earlier, the same regime had executed people in different parts of the country, including Mbale, Kabale and Kampala.
On January 23, 1973, several people were executed over different crimes.
For instance, Badru Semakula, who was killed at the Pan Africa Square near Clock Tower, had been arrested for robbery.
Semakula’s execution was followed with that of others such as Tom Masaba, a former Uganda Army Captain, who was executed in Mbale with Nkoko from Busoga sub-region. The two had been arrested together with Joseph Bitwari and James Karambi, from Kigezi sub-region, and Phare Kasoro, from Tooro. They were all accused of being Fronasa collaborators.
A day before their executions, the accused confessed before a military tribunal chaired by Lt Col Mali Ozi of plotting to overthrow the government.
Government newspaper Voice of Uganda of January 24, 1973, reported that the decision to execute them was taken by the Defence Council which sat at Makindye State Lodge, chaired by president Amin.
Other members of the council included Lt Col Hussein Malela, Maj Gabriel, Capt Sengendo, Capt Yasin, Capt Amin and the secretary, Lt Awuzu.
Just before the execution of the convicts, the chairperson of the military tribunal issued a statement saying: “Now these subversive elements have found a direct confrontation impossible so they are operating in small bands. They disguise as soldiers and try to disgrace the government by hijacking high officials.”
“As a result of this, these people must be punished in public in their districts as an example to the people. The tribunal decided that the five accused be executed by firing squad.”
Just as the Liberian and Gabonese leaders pleaded with Amin to spare the lives of the 1977 prisoners, Anglican bishop Festo Kivengere of Kigezi Diocese met with president Amin and protested the killing of the three men from his region.
Fredrick Quinn, in his book African Saints: Saints, Martyrs and Holy People from the Continent of Africa, quotes Kivengere saying: “February 10 began as a sad day for us in Kabale. People were commanded to come to the stadium and witness the execution. Death permeated the atmosphere. A silent crowd of about 3,000 was there ready to watch.”
“I had permission from the authorities to speak to the men before they died, and two of my fellow ministers were with me. They brought the men on a truck and unloaded them. They were handcuffed and their feet were chained.”
“The firing squad stood at attention. As we walked into the centre of the stadium, I was wondering what to say. How do you give the gospel to doomed men who are probably seething with rage?”

Approached from behind
“We approached them from behind, and as they turned to look at us, what a sight! Their faces were all alight with an unmistakable glow and radiance. Before we could say anything, one of them burst out: ‘Bishop, thank you for coming! I wanted to tell you. The day I was arrested, in my prison cell, I asked the Lord Jesus to come into my heart.”
“The other two men told similar stories, excitedly raising their hands, which rattled their handcuffs. I felt that what I needed to do was to talk to the soldiers, not to the condemned. So I translated what the men had said into a language the soldiers understood.”
“The military men were standing there with guns cocked and bewilderment on their faces. They were so dumbfounded that they forgot to put the hoods over the men’s faces! The three faced the firing squad standing close together. They looked toward the people and began to wave, handcuffs and all. The people waved back. Then shots were fired, and the three were with Jesus.”

About Clock Tower victims
The Clock Tower victims included Abudallah Anyuru, the former chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Ben Ongom, a businessman, Lt Ben Ogwang, a former intelligence officer of the Malire Regiment, Y. Y. Okoth, a former inspector of schools, John Leji Alobo, a senior relations officer at the ministry of Works, Elias Okidi Menya, former general manager Lake Victoria Bottling Company and Garison S. Onon, the former principal of Bobi Foundation School.
Others were Julius Peter Adupa, former principal of Lira Polytechnic School, Daniel Nsereko, former assistant commissioner of police, Peter Atua, former principal officer with Luzira prison, E. N. Mutabazi, former superintendent of prisons, and John Kabandize, former senior superintendent of prisons.

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