Painful memories: Kichwamba attack

Twenty-five years and 11 days ago, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels attacked Uganda Technical College Kichwamba in Kabarole District.

The trail of destruction they left behind included three dormitories razed to the ground, 80 slain students, and hundreds more abducted.

Many of the abducted students would never be seen again. Those who survived the attack have reported that it irreparably affected their mental health.

Like in the Friday incident at Mpondwe in Kasese District, the army had been deployed in the area back in 1998.

It anticipated an attack by the ADF, and indeed had a military detachment near the school to protect the students and the management.

The rebels had earlier carried out an attack on the school, but they got their intelligence wrong.

They discovered that the students had gone for holidays, so no one was affected by their attack. Frustrated, the rebels attacked a nearby town and instead looted property and food.

Before the fateful day on June 8, 1998, some of the students received information that the rebels were hiding in a forest at the top of the mountain.

Army warmed
In 2015, Joab Kaganda, one of the survivors of the attack, told this newspaper that students passed on the information to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers. 

Kaganda added that the soldiers brushed it off, reasoning that they had enough manpower to defend the property. The soldiers told the students to continue with their studies.

Hours before the attack, Kaganda said he and his friends had gone for a walk when they found suspected rebels along the way.

He said the five men told them not to go back to the school, which they defied. Back at the school, they told their colleagues what had happened. 

“I told them those were rebels and were coming to attack the college at night,” Kaganda disclosed back in 2015.

No one took him seriously. They continued with their task until midnight when they went to their dormitory.

It was in the morning that they heard gunshots as the rebels descended on the school.

The UPDF soldiers at the detachment at the school put up resistance for a few minutes before they were overpowered and abandoned their positions.

The students were now for all intents and purposes on their own. Fearing for their lives, the students locked themselves in the dormitories.

Kaganda further revealed that the rebels kept telling them to get out, claiming they wanted to rescue them. When the students refused, the rebels set the dormitories on fire. 

Smoke and fire forced the students to open the door to escape. Those who managed to escape came within the rebels’ gunshots.

Kaganda and a few of his friends were able to escape without being shot and sought sanctuary in the farms until the army and police rescued them.

Days after the attack, the government promised to compensate relatives of the deceased and the surviving.

Relatives of the deceased students and surviving victims have often used June 8 memorial services to remind the government of the pledge made.

Rogers Kanti, one of the survivors, told NTV Uganda last week that they have never been compensated.

“We have never even received a mass prayer in this country. It is a shame. I was somewhere and they said we were compensated. I told them I am a victim of the circumstance. We have never been compensated,” Mr Kanti disclosed.

What UPDF says
‘‘We understand between 11pm and midnight last night, some group attacked Lhubiriha School and first of all tied up the school guard, entered the school, massacred the students, set two dormitories on fire, and then killed the guard after. And they left with those they abducted with food from the store. Those abducted were made to carry the food. 

The signature [of the attackers] is ADF, but given the fact that this school has been having wrangles over ownership, we are leaving room open. We, however, inserted a force that is pursuing the group so that we can rescue those abducted. I’m sure we are going to establish exactly who they are.

We are aware that there have only been two incidents, [including last night’s attack and the infiltration into Ntoroko last year]. Whichever group it is, it is very, very unfortunate. Our sympathies to the parents of these children.

However, we believe if it wasn’t for Operation Shujaa you would have had more and more of these attacks happening on our territory.

Whereas it is true that the pressure is making [the ADF rebels] move this side so that we can withdraw [from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have to increase our vigilance at home].

Vigilance is on both sides—security and the population. Security can’t be in every home and everywhere.

So the vigilance of the population helps us to get information, and, therefore, act on it.

We have deployments along the border; although not inch by inch. Even [in] this area of Mpondwe, we have a battalion there. However, insurgents as they are, always sneak in gaps.’’ 

Brig Felix Kulayigye, Defence spokesperson
Extracted from Views, People and News (VPN) talkshow programme on our sister radio station, KFM, hosted yesterday by Kwezi Tabaro.