Museveni’s wartime driver seeks compensation, says govt ignored him
Muhammed Musana, who claims to have been President Museveni's driver during the guerrilla war. PHOTO/ASUMAN MUSOBYA
What you need to know:
- Former Museveni driver asks for house, aid and recognition
An 82-year-old man who claims to have been President Museveni’s personal driver during Uganda’s early 1980s liberation struggle is seeking compensation from the government, saying he was abandoned after facing life-threatening risks and losing personal property.
Muhammed Musana, a peasant farmer from Namalenha Village in Buwunga sub-county, Bugiri District, told Monitor he worked with Museveni between 1982 and 1983, a period marked by intense military activity that eventually led to Museveni’s rise to power in 1986.
“I survived two attempts on my life by Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) soldiers who were targeting my boss,” he said. “At the time, I was alone in the vehicle,” he explained.
Musana claims his Peugeot vehicle, registration number UWL 029, was destroyed by troops in Namunteire Village along the Jinja–Tororo Highway in Busia District.
He also says his house was burned down, leaving him to rebuild his life from scratch.
“I worked with him for two years. After my car was destroyed, he left me, and I returned home to struggle,” said Musana, who now supports his family of ten children and one wife through subsistence farming.
Musana is now appealing to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government for financial support, compensation, recognition, a house, education for his children, and jobs for them.
“If the government caters for the above, I will die a happy man because I have never benefited from government programmes,” he said.
Musana said his efforts to seek help started in 2000 when he approached then Fisheries Minister and Bukooli Central MP, Fred Mukisa, but received no response.
Letters sent to other officials, including former NRM Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba, also went unanswered.
“I’ve written letters to government officials, but no one has helped me. Now that I’m aging, when will I benefit from the government?” he asked.
Bugiri Resident District Commissioner Paul Mwidu Kalikwani has promised to look into the case.
“As the president’s representative, I’m going to take this matter seriously,” Kalikwani said.
“I’m confident that all his requests will be considered. I want him to remain calm while we escalate the issue to our superiors,” he added.
Kalikwani added that his office would visit Musana’s home to gather further details and verify his claims.
