Then Assistant Inspector General of Police Asan Kasingye (left), then police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba (centre) with the leader of FDC delegation, Maj John Kazoora (right), after a meeting to plan the return of Dr Kizza Besigye from Nairobi, Kenya, on May 11,2011. PHOTO/ FILE
Glowing tributes have been flowing after Maj (Rtd) John Kazoora, a former director of operations for the Opposition party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), passed on at the weekend. Maj Kazoora died at a city hospital on Easter Sunday. He was 66. Several people have described Maj Kazoora as a patriot who stood by his words and died for them.
The President of National Unity Platform, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, described Maj Kazoora as a patriot who served his country with distinction. “It is very sad that you never got to see the kind of country you sacrificed your youthful years for. Your book, “Betrayed by my leader,” remains as a testament of your contribution to Uganda, but also an exposé of the origins of dictatorship in our land,” Mr Kyagulanyi said.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Thomas Tayebwa, said Maj Kazoora left a strong legacy as an astute legislator and freedom fighter.
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, said: “Uncle John, as we affectionately called him, was a mentor to many aspiring politicians and made significant contributions to our country. May the Lord grant his family, comrades, and colleagues the strength to endure this difficult time, and may his soul rest in peace.” Buhweju MP Francis Mwijukye said Maj Kazoora was a guiding light and an inspiration who shaped their journey in the Forum for Democratic Change.
Ms Alice Alaso, who worked with Maj Kazoora in the FDC, said he spent his entire life trying to make Uganda a better place. Ms Alaso, a former Serere Woman MP and former secretary general of FDC is now a leader of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT). On its X handle, ANT posted: “We have with great sadness learnt of the passing of Maj John Kazoora. An indefatigable fighter.
As He said when he was asked whether he was happy to quit this government he said, ‘Yes, Because history will absolve us and we will never be lumped up together with people… who ditched this country & our children will walk with their heads up’.”
Maj Kazoora was born on August 4, 1958, to an ex-serviceman of the King's African Rifles, who worked at the Ankole Kingdom Council. In his book, Betrayed by My Leader, Maj Kazoora recalled his father as a disciplinarian who ensured they met all the set standards at their home. Maj Kazoora’s mother was also equally strict on education and religion.
His parents’ skills shaped him into what he became in the future. He started his early education under a tree where his mother taught him before he came of age to join formal education. He joined Rutooma Primary School, Mbarara District, which is a stone's throw away from their home.
Rutooma Primary School was one of the best schools in the Ankole Sub-region then. His uncle, being its headmaster, noticed that teachers spent a great time on him and his siblings in the classes.
In 1972, Maj Kazoora completed his Primary Leaving Examinations with good results, but they were not good enough to get him a position in Nyakasura, which was his first choice. He ended up getting a position at Mengo Senior School in Kampala City, where he had never been.
Kazoora was supposed to travel from a relative’s home in Makindye to Mengo Secondary School for studies. Being his first time in Kampala City, he lost his way on his second day to school, and he had to be helped by a passer-by to locate his school. Mengo Secondary School provided him with better quality education, clothing, and food.
However, he didn’t last in the school for long due to the abusive environment at his relative’s home. He confided in his father the challenges he was going through. His father listened and took him back to the village, where he forced him to repeat primary seven as he found another secondary school for him. With the help of a family friend, he got a place in senior two at Nyakasura, a top secondary school in the western region, then and now.
It was in that school that he met students who became his long-time friends and comrades like Mr Patrick Bitature, Ms Beatrice Kiraso, Gen David Sejusa (formerly Tinyefuza), and former presidential candidate Maj Gen Benon Biraro (now late). He sustained his education dream and sat his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education examinations. As he was waiting for their results, he was taken up by the political temperatures in the country then.
Milton Obote’s Kikosi Maluum had forced Idi Amin Dada’s government out. Kazoora and some of his young relatives walked miles to Mbarara Town to see one of their uncles, who was part of the fighters. Upon reaching Mbarara, they met one of the key fighters, who had an unkempt moustache and was dressed in military fatigue, whom they asked to help them fight their uncle, and he immediately chased them.
When they asked the fighters at the quarter guard who the man was, they were told that it was Yoweri Museveni, a leader of the Front for National Salvation. Maj Kazoora said it was his first encounter with Mr Museveni. In his book, Kazoora said the chase was a blessing in disguise because he returned to continue with his education. He joined Makerere University as a student majoring in Political Science in 1979.
Like many university students then, we keenly followed politics since the general election campaigns were going on. He met the likes of Gen Mugisha Muntu, Gen Aronda Nyakairima (the Late), Gen Henry Tumukunde, Jet Mwebaze (the late), and others. He fell for the evangelism by Mr Museveni, the then-leader of the Uganda Patriotic Movement, and joined the party.
Maj. (Rtd) Kazoora (L) with fallen Capt. Karegyesa (2ndL) and two other fighters in the hey days of NRA guerrilla war. File Photo.
After the elections, they were targeted by the Uganda People’s Congress youth wingers, forcing many to flee to exile or to the bush to join Mr Museveni’s rebellion. He continued with his education, but a year later, he joined the National Resistance Army rebels.
They captured power, and he was posted in Kampala City as the special administrator. Kazoora was later transferred to the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) as a director for political affairs. He described ISO as a place of intrigue. On March 12, 1991, Kazoora was arrested on allegations of embezzling Shs12 million and terrorism offences.
He was tried and convicted, but he appealed, and the High Court acquitted him. In 1996, he joined politics to represent the people of Kashari in the national assembly. He triumphed. But the bad times were not yet over. When President Museveni asked the Speaker of the 6th Parliament, James Wapakhabulo (now deceased) to become the national political commissar, Maj Kazoora advised, in confidence, the latter not to take the post.
In his book, Maj Kazoora said Mr Museveni had asked Wapakhabulo to go around the country mobilising to replace him upon retiring. Maj Kazoora told Wapakhabulo that it was a plot to throw him out since he was so popular.
Unfortunately, Wapakhabulo disclosed to Mr Museveni what Maj Kazoora had told him. Mr Museveni was unhappy with Maj Kazoora and it was the start of a fallout. Maj Kazoora later joined Dr Kizza Besigye under the Reform Agenda and then the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). In 2005, he retired from the army.
In 2011, he contested for a parliament seat in Mbarara Municipality Constituency but was defeated by Mr Medard Bitekyerezo. He then concentrated on his political party, the FDC, until he left his position.
