Kayiira, the criminologist killed by criminals

Attack. An illustration shows how Dr Kayiira was killed

KAMPALA. Born on January 30, 1945, in Nkokonjeru in Mukono to Sebastian Ssendikwanawa Kayiira and Miriam Nakintu, Andrew Lutakome Kayiira’s parents were pioneer members of the Democratic Party (DP).
His father was also a federalist with a strong passion for Buganda Kingdom.
Kayiira started his education in Nkokonjeru before joining Namilyango College and later Makerere University to study Mathematics.
He then enrolled in Prisons where he rose to an assistant superintendent.
While in Prisons services, he got a scholarship to study Criminal Justice in the United Kingdom, getting a diploma. He proceeded to the US in 1968 for further studies.
By the time he concluded his studies, Idi Amin had taken power in Uganda and Kayiira remained into self-imposed exile in America where he attained a PhD in Criminal Justice from the University of New York.
His doctoral dissertation was “Violence in Kondoism: The rise and nature of violent crime in Uganda.” His work is said to have helped add the term Kondoism as a terminology in criminology.
Politics calls
In 1978, while still a student in America, Kayiira formed a political party, the Uganda Freedom Union (UFU), with the aim of fighting Amin. Through the party’s newsletter – SASA UFU – Kayiira reached out to many Ugandan students in America. His early recruits included Kalu Kalumayi, Henry Bwambale, Justine Sabitti, Mubiru Musoke, Aloysius Lugira, and Olara Otunnu.
Then a student in America, Israel Mayengo says: “Though I never joined the party, I saw Kayiira every weekend when he came to our side of town to meet with other Ugandans with whom they shared a similar political thinking...”
During the 1979 Moshi Conference in Tanzania that brought together Uganda political parties in the diaspora opposed to Amin, UFU was also represented.
“Each party sent three delegates; Kayiira was one of the three UFU delegates. [That’s] how he became a member of the National Consultative Council (NCC),” Mr Mayengo says.
When Yusuf Lule’s leadership became shaky, Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM), a pressure group comprising Baganda ministers in Lule’s administration, was formed not only to protect and promote his agenda but also Buganda’s interests.
But after Lule’s overthrow in June 1979 after only 68 days in power, UFM metamorphosed into a rebel group led by Dr Kayiira.
Three days after the failed attack on Kabamba Barracks by Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA) rebels on February 9, 1981, Dr Kayiira’s UFM staged an audacious attack on Lubiri barracks in a bid to overthrow the Obote regime. They were, however, overrun by the government troops.
In September 1982, Dr Kayiira fled to Kenya.
After the fall of Obote in 1985, the Tito Okello Lutwa junta created a Military Council where UFM was given a seat.
Dr Kayiira returned to take up the seat but on his return, his fighters revived their operations within the central region.
Mr Mayengo says Dr Kayiira was a bold rebel leader.
“His bravery set him apart from other rebel leaders to the extent we were told he carried out his recruitment in the open,” Mr Mayengo says.
When the NRA rebels took power in January 1986, Dr Kayiira was appointed a minister and his fighters integrated into the NRA.
However, in October of the same year, Dr Kayiira was arrested with 24 others on treason charges. Mr Mayengo was one of those arrested.
“Exactly 10 days after our acquittal, Dr Kayiira was killed,” Mr Mayengo says.
But nearly 32 years after, the mystery surrounding his killing has never been resolved, with some calling it a robbery gone bad and others calling it a political murder.