Police foil hostage crisis but army takes credit
It was a sunny Wednesday morning in September 2004. The buzz in the country was more about debate in Parliament to scrap presidential term limits from the constitution than plans to open up political space through a referendum.
Two men, Sam Muwanguzi alias Ssekonotawanyibwa and Abdu Kairu alias Tenwa, took a stroll along Parliamentary Avenue and headed up to the second floor of Century House on Plot 13/15. They appeared like casual visitors and no one paid particular attention to them.
This was the office of State Minister for Water and Environment, Maria Mutagamba, a former Democratic Party strongwoman. They sprung a surprise, however, closing the minister’s door behind them, and announcing that they had taken over the office.
That was the beginning a hostage drama that would momentarily shake the nation. Two people were held hostage, the Minister’s body guard, Julianne Wodumaga and secretary Josephine Namuli.
Curious onlookers thronged the vicinity as news spread like wild fire. A radio journalist then, I was covering the event and reporting live on 9.33 KFM, following a studded re-launch that coincided with this big breaking news story.
Plumes of teargas would fill the air as police cordoned off parliamentary avenue and dispersed the huge crowd of anguished Ugandans that had gathered to witness the action. Plain clothed security operatives swarmed like bees, pistols and AK-47 assault rifles in hand. Many of them arrived in reconditioned, dark tinted Toyota saloon cars. But it was the presence of members of the president’s elite security guard and a team of Israeli commandos wielding Uzi guns that caught many an eye. First Son Col. Muhoozi Kainerugaba easily stood out of the hive of Ugandan security troops that had congregated at the scene.
Then, as the afternoon waned, the troops stormed the water ministry and freed the women who had been held hostage. Several shots were heard but no casualties were seen. The operation was easily deemed a success. But just who was responsible for executing this job; the Uganda police, UPDF, PGB [now Special Forces] or Israeli commandos? Perhaps, as many believed, this was a stage managed episode to divert public attention from the third term debate?
“No it was not stage managed. They wanted a ransom,” says retired former deputy inspector general of police, Julius Odwe. “These local people just thought that they could go there and create a ransom and earn a living. For sure they could endanger somebody but they were amateurs.”
His revelations have offered unusual insight into what actually happened that day. Mr Odwe says President Museveni, who was receiving regular briefs on the episode, had been getting impatient when hours passed by and the hostage takers had not been apprehended.
“He (Museveni) was saying this thing is really simple, for me I can just go there and clear it,” Mr Odwe recalls. “I said I am sorry Your Excellency You will have frustrated us. We work on your behalf. Why should you be there? We must be the ones to die on the cross first. Allow us time. I am promising you before 4 O’clock, this thing will be over.”
It had been said that the hostage takers were opposed to deletion of presidential term limits and reportedly stated so in an enveloped message thrown through the 2nd floor window of Mutagamba’s office. While that claim remains unauthenticated, Mr Odwe says the standoff was settled one hour before the 4 o’clock deadline. He adds that contrary to wide public belief, the police’s anti-terrorism task force “broke into the doors and arrested those people.”
Apparently, after the police successfully apprehended Muwanguzi and Kairu, who were residents of the Katanga slum in Makerere, some security operatives rushed to State House to brief the President and claim credit.
“Other people went and gave him lies and lies,” he says. “Some people had accused police of doing different things, meanwhile others had claimed victory.”
Commenting about the Israeli commandos, who Mr Odwe admits came with Col. Muhoozi, the ex-police chief says: “These people claimed that they were experts. We don’t know their capacity, but it was police which did that job. But there were some trying to look for credit or a way of earning a living because even they lured Salim Saleh to say that they were going there with experts. But you see this was a local situation where we hadn’t lost control and we were not sure of these so called experts. They can go there and die for nothing or aggravate the situation. So we did the job.”
What happened to the hostage takers?
Sam Muwanguzi alias Ssekonotawanyibwa and Abdu Kairu alias Tenwa were arraigned before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court, two days after their hostage taking. Their first appearance in court was held in camera, with reports suggesting the two men confessed to attempting to carry out a terror attack. Then Chief Magistrate Deo Nizeimana remanded the duo to Luzira Maximum Security Prison pending completion of investigations. After spending two years behind bars and applying for amnesty, the two men were granted freedom between May and June 2006 following a decision by the Director of Public Prosecution to withdraw charges against them.
Mutagamba’s fears
“I had planned to come early in office but somehow something held me back. Jeje (Odong) rang me saying there was a crisis in my office. He told me two men entered my office. I had always thought that in this world, I am a person with least enemies. I am such an insignificant person and I have no personal grudge with anyone anymore.”
Following the incident, the personal security of ministers has since been heightened with more deployment of police personnel who have undergone specialised training in protection of VIPs at the Special Forces Group Kasenyi Training School in Entebbe.
