Adoko Nekyon and his role in the failure of Uganda

Kabaka Muteesa insisted his minimum condition was that he leads the UPC/KY Alliance and thus be the prime minister of Uganda, when they eventually win the already rigged elections. Since electoral victory for the alliance was prearranged for Milton Obote, Felix Onama and Akbar Adoko Nekyon, the problem of UPC leading the Alliance was how to ensure that the people of northern Uganda who were marginalised under colonial rule should be the rulers.

The Obote, Nekyon and Onama team met Grace Ibingira at his law chambers where his partner was Godfrey Binaisa. They convinced Binaisa who was then on the Buganda KY side of the alliance to work with/for the UPC side. Binaisa was so brainy at persuading that ‘he could sell a forest as a city’ and Nekyon was so intellectual in assertiveness and argument that ‘he could convince a person to commit suicide’. These two determined Uganda’s independence leader.

Heading UPC/KY alliance
Binaisa and Nekyon persuaded Daudi Ocheng and Abu Mayanja to prevail upon Muteesa to accept Obote to head the alliance and become the prime minister of Uganda. Whether Binaisa and Nekyon directly met Kabaka Muteesa on this issue is not known. What is known is that they convinced Kabaka Muteesa that instead of being the prime minister he will be the ‘above’ over the prime minister and the Government of Uganda. It is also confirmed that Obote met Muteesa and both accepted the ‘master-servant’ deal.

During a subsequent meeting, after the main UPC/KY Alliance pact, Nekyon directly engaged with Kabaka Muteesa. It is generally known that Muteesa had a cheeky humorous, dismissive and reductionist approach to serious issues. During the said meeting the forceful presentations of Nekyon were trivialised and laughed off by Muteesa who, on such a note, moved out.
Consequently, Nekyon was withdrawn from the UPC contact team on the ‘Joint Committee’ of the alliance. Thus Nekyon was not on the UPC delegation to the final London negotiations on Uganda independence. Nekyon later described the negotiations as ‘stupid’ for returning independent Uganda ‘Head of State’ and economy back to the British, commerce to Indians, the big service ministries to Buganda and UPC getting ‘crumbs’.

On the ‘personality’ and ‘attitudes’ of the negotiators of Uganda independence, Nekyon clearly did not respect colleagues with weak intellect. Kabaka Muteesa was averse to people with bulldozing ideas, like Nekyon, preferring Obote. For Obote, there was always an intellectual like Ibingira, Nekyon and Binaisa by his side supporting his mind. The legal minds, Ibingira and Binaisa, opportunistically acted behind their dim colleagues.

The final April 1962 elections to independence, where the results were foregone, present a lesson on ‘why post-colonial Uganda has failed’. Ugandans wrongly assume that elections are a genuine exercise of appointing leaders. Ugandans also wrongly assume that Europeans are neutral and genuine on the outcome of elections. The role of Nekyon confirms that election results are negotiated.

Immediately after the May 25, 1962, independence elections, Nekyon contacted the selected 21 Buganda MPs to the Uganda Parliament. Nekyon informed them that for the UPC side to accept their nomination for appointment to minister, deputy minister and parliamentary secretary the Buganda MP must sign a mission that KY fuse into UPC. Thirteen of the 21 Buganda MPs signed the document literally stating that UPC was superior to KY.

All but one of the Buganda ministers in the UPC/KY Alliance government were from the 13 Buganda MPs who had committed themselves to UPC. On the UPC side of the three committees on KY and UPC sharing the independence ‘cake’; Nekyon was on political offices, with Onama and Ibingira on the two other committees.

Because of the many pending cases on the violence and election rigging in the April 25, 1962, elections where Buganda KY and UPC were culprits, the post of Attorney General was critical. It was negotiated by the Nekyon committee. Binaisa became the Attorney General to quash the mainly DP cases against Buganda KY in elections violence and rigging.

Ethnic representation
Finally, Nekyon strived for a Cabinet post in the UPC slots as Lango already had prime minister Obote. All ethnic regions could not be in Cabinet. An intellectual ‘bulldozer’, Nekyon convinced key UPC MPs, GBK Magezi for Bunyoro, to accept State minister posts for Lango to take a second substantive Cabinet post of minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism.
Towards the October 1962 handover of Uganda to the UPC/KY Alliance, the problem of the place of Kabaka Muteesa in the political equation emerged. Muteesa declined to attend the Kololo independence ceremony where the, Nekyon and Binaisa drafted, deal that he was ‘above’ prime minister Obote was missing. Agreement was reached that Kabaka Muteesa would arrive later and even be received by prime minister Obote.

The ministry of Information was part of the organisation of the first independence ceremony. Minister Nekyon ensured that ceremonial protocol did not reflect Kabaka Muteesa and Buganda as obviously under prime minister Obote and the UPC led UPC/KY Uganda Government. Kabaka Muteesa arrived after prime minister Obote and sat with British royals.
The independence festivities continued from October 9, 1962, to the end of December 1962 with new ministers and MPs, mainly those from northern Uganda, and supporters partying and slaughtering goats. Ministers Onama, Nekyon and Cuthbert Obwangor topped these cerebrations.

On the government plan, the official statements of the minister of Information Nekyon in 1963 do not reflect whether the choice of the first independence UPC/KY government was ‘nation building’, economic development’, ‘social development’, ‘state building’, etc. His press statements were always on political conflicts, squabbles and confusion.

Attack on politicians
Nekyon’s press conferences usually attacked politicians on the Opposition, Buganda leadership or in the UPC. Akena Adoko, the director of the Uganda Intelligence Services up to 1971, described Nekyon as a person whose “words hurt worse than the sting of the poisonous Puff Adder” snake.

Nekyon consistently distanced himself from Communism, Capitalism and ‘Tribalism’, posing as a Uganda nationalist. However, in his role in sowing the failure of Uganda in the period between January 1963 and December 1966 it will be observed that there were four factions in UPC; ‘communists’ of Kakonge, ‘capitalists’ of Ibingira, ‘tribalists’ of Dr Lumu, and nationalists of Obote, Nekyon and Onama. The most false of the supposed ideological positions in UPC was the ‘nationalists’ as they apparently held more hatred for Buganda than passion for Uganda.

As the minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism, one unique task of Nekyon was to use government media to promote ‘national unity’. The official position was that the UPC/KY Alliance was a ‘national unity’ project. The explicit aspect of UPC/KY Alliance ‘national unity’ was to marry Buganda women and from multiple ethnicities.
For Nekyon, in addition to his Lango wife, he married from Bugisu, Busoga and Buganda. Prime minister Obote added to his Lango wife another from Buganda and Bugisu. Minister Onama married from three more ethnic regions. Other ministers necessarily added a wife from Buganda and Lango in the spirit of ‘national unity’.

Unofficially, Obote approached Nekyon to use the government ministry media to promote the ‘Obote Doctrine’. Years later in August 1980, after crossing to DP, Nekyon revealed that early in 1963 he had declined to use government media to ‘lionise’ prime minister Obote and any (meaning Muteesa) individual.

When early in 1963 Saul Lubega, the representative of Kabaka Muteesa on the UPC/KY Alliance Contact Committee, requested through Ibingira for the promised exalted status of Kabaka Muteesa; Nekyon opposed a Cabinet idea that Kabaka Muteesa be granted the post of Uganda Head of State then held as Governor General by Sir Walter Coutts.

According to Prof Phares Mutibwa, the Nekyon-led UPC group on anti-Buganda and anti-Muteesa was called the ‘Nekyons’. The list of the names is not compiled but towards December 1963 the UPC MPs under Nekyon in anti-Buganda were 26 in total. Prof Mutibwa cites Nekyon at Bwaise in Kampala in 1963 stating that ‘UPC should destroy Buganda’.

As the minister for Information and Broadcasting in 1963, Nekyon improperly undertook to introduce television in Uganda. Bypassing his British permanent secretary, who he said should not be trusted with the aspirations of Africans, and Cabinet, Nekyon engaged a USA firm to install television studios, transmission and several thousand TV sets ‘free’ paid in instalments at low prices.

Due to Nekyon, Ugandan was the first African country south of the Sahara to watch television. The ‘free’ TV sets with a Uganda flag were located at sub-county and community centres across the country for poor rural Ugandans to watch. Instead of sanctioning Nekyon for the improper act, prime minister Obote demanded his photograph be shown to the nation at the opening and closing of services.

In Parliament and Cabinet, instead of sanctioning Nekyon, the leaders applied to receive a ‘free’ TV set. Accusations in Parliament that in this improper deal, the USA firm paid a construction company to build two bungalows for Nekyon was booed and rejected.

Though Nekyon was overtly critical of the lavish public expenditures and lifestyle of Buganda leaders at Mengo, he accepted the UPC/KY Cabinet resolution to award themselves soft loans and subsidies for each to construct a mansion at upscale Muyenga in Kampala or any other place. In 1963, Nekyon acquired a storied mansion in Kampala almost entirely at the taxpayer’s cost.

Still in early 1963, Nekyon had in a few months past condemned the Buganda Mengo ministers for wasting public funds to acquire expensive Mercedes Benz vehicles. When shortly after, the UPC/KY Cabinet resolved and acquired a higher and more expensive version of Mercedes Benz for each minister, Nekyon accepted it warmly.

Demand by clansmen
Later in mid-1963, Nekyon and Obote attended a clan function at home. A meeting chaired by their eldest Uncle, Akaki father of Akena Adoko, blamed their sons Obote and Nekyon of not extending the benefits of public office to their Oyima clansmen. The two politicians were instructed to recruit their relatives to lucrative jobs in Uganda government.

Obote and Nekyon recruited and promoted more than 10 close relatives into worthwhile public sector positions. The list included Akena Adoko, Ayumu, Odur, Oboma, etc. After the initial exercise whenever Nekyon visited home and when elders came to Kampala they ferried relatives, village mates and tribesmen for jobs. The Nekyon clan paid the price of nepotism and tribalism after the 1971 Military coup as many of these relatives and tribesmen were killed.
The outstanding recruitment was Akena Adoko, a failed public law practice, who was directly deployed in the Office of Prime Minister Obote without a formal appointment but good salary and vehicle. The minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, GBK Magezi, assigned some work to Akena Adoko but was ignored.

Akena Adoko became the coordinator of the 1963 ‘inner circle’ of power in Uganda; these were Obote, Nekyon, Onama and Odaka. Early in 1964 after the Army Mutiny, this ‘inner circle’ admitted Maj Idi Amin. Unofficially, Akena Adoko compiled reports on opponents of the ‘inner circle’. In early 1964, Nekyon and Akena Adoko completed recruitment, from Lango, the first batch of General Service Unit staff for training in Israel.

When the conditions Britain set to relieve Uganda from British Dominion status and relinquish the Head of State post were fulfilled by the Ibingira Committee in May 1963, the main occupation of minister Nekyon in June-September 1963 was to prevent Kabaka Muteesa from becoming the first native Uganda Head of State.

Nekyon disparaged the Mengo claim that there was no person above Kabaka Mutesa on Buganda territory. Nekyon ensured that the post which should have been exclusive to Kabaka Muteesa was open to other ethnic hereditary constitutional heads. It was also subjected to indirect elections by Parliament. With Binaisa’s input, the post of Uganda Governor-General was seriously degraded while converting it to president to be occupied by Kabaka Muteesa.

The brilliant Nekyon technically defeated Ibingira and Obote who, each for different reasons, desperately wanted Kabaka Muteesa to become president of Uganda. Kabaka Muteesa also desperately wanted the post. Nekyon showed that a hereditary traditional leader like Muteesa could not stand for electoral leadership while maintaining the cultural position. The adjustments to overcome the hurdles presented by the ‘Nekyons’ greatly devalued the post.

Towards the election of the Head of State and president of Uganda, the ‘Nekyons’ UPC group floated a candidate who was also the national vice president of UPC; this was Nadiope, also the Kyabazinga of Busoga. Nekyon subjected the Uganda he claimed to revere, as a nationalist, to the absurdity of Nadiope as the vice president of UPC being below UPC Party President Obote while as the Vice-President of Uganda simultaneously being above prime minister Obote.

In the UPC Parliament Caucus on the choice of President of Uganda, Nekyon beat Obote and Ibingira to get the endorsement of Nadiope. Obote told UPC MPs that he will resign as president of UPC and prime minister of Uganda if they do not endorse Kabaka Muteesa for the sake of national unity in Uganda. The UPC Caucus MPs told Obote to resign; he did not.

By the final UPC MPs Caucus meeting Obote and Ibingira had swayed half of the group from Nekyon. However, this was only after a further abrupt Constitutional Amendment was agreed to create the post of vice president to be occupied by Nadiope. Obote then approached the Opposition DP for support to elect Kabaka Muteesa as president of Uganda.
But Nekyon was not done; his anti-Buganda ‘Nekyons’ MPs still nominated Nadiope against Kabaka Muteesa. This was unforeseen and Muteesa expecting to be unopposed had not turned up to contest. Procedural manipulations allowed Muteesa to be elected President of Uganda.

Nekyon exited Parliament before Kabaka Muteesa was announced president. The Uganda Argus newspaper reported that Nekyon looked serious and very angry. When asked why he opposed Muteesa leading Uganda; Nekyon told media the election of Muteesa was fraught with fraud … he explained that Buganda stand was that it was wrong for any person whose name starts with letter ‘O’ to be a leader ... to be prime minister of Uganda.

At the Bulange Kabaka Muteesa met the press at 1pm. He expressed reservations about accepting the election to president, the post is not clear, Buganda demands are pending and enemies (Nekyons) are in the way. Dismissing the Nekyons after the election was already planned. It was to be led by a Teso MP called Hon Okurut.

Spontaneous jubilant Buganda crowds cerebrating Muteesa election for president lined up the road from Bulange to Lubiri. Muteesa invited Obote to the triumphal drive. But outside the Buganda crowds were singing that Obote steps aside for Muteesa to appoint his prime minister. There were placards that Uganda prime minister should also be a Muganda.

Dismissing Nekyon
Prime minister Obote failed to cerebrate the election of president Muteesa. Obote also eased from the plan to dismiss Nekyon from the government which was now (ceremonially) led by his nemesis Muteesa.

The following month, November 1963, Nekyon was asked why he engaged in political conflicts when besides being minister he was not a leader anywhere in Uganda. He said that as long as he is a minister he will only act according to principles of truth; not foolish people. He explained that he talks according to his feelings irrespective of what anybody thinks.

On November 11, 1963, Nekyon was confronted by MPs demanding his resignation. He then said that Uganda never won independence and Muteesa is not a Head of State. Nekyon said, “Uganda (in Nov 1963) has no Defence Minister, Foreign minister and Internal Affairs minister; the army is British (KAR), army chief (Col Tillet) and police chief (Mr MacCoun) are British; Economy minister (Hon Simpson) is British; Uganda is still a colony.”

Nekyon nastily responded to the MPs demanding his exit. He described the leader of the campaign, Hon Okurut, as ‘without a useful brain’ and ‘looking like a porcupine’. To another MP in the group, Nekyon said ‘this (the Hon name) merely wants to discharge some bad gas from his stomach instead of talking sense’.