The failed 1971 guerilla force attack, ex-minister Wakholi disappearance

When on September 17, 1979 the rebels of Uganda People’s Liberation Forces (UPLF) and the Front for National Salvation (Fronasa) of Yoweri Museveni attacked Uganda from Tanzania and failed to capture and hold any territory in Uganda, the repercussion was very tragic.

Besides ill political and military preparations, several mistakes were made by the UPLF commanders at the frontline. And as a result, many of the fighters were killed while others were taken prisoners of War, including Joshua Wakholi, a former minister for Public service. The UPLF had attacked from Mutukula border in Masaka District while another throng together with Fronasa attacked Simba barracks in Mbarara in south-western Uganda.

Commenting on the mistakes by Tito Okello Lutwa, one of the rebel commanders, on page 69 of his book, Sowing the mustard seed, President Museveni wrote: “In the advance on Kalisizo, they had captured a jeep with a radio communication set and apparently, Okello [Tito] himself started using it to call for reinforcement, without changing frequency. Even if he had changed the frequency, it would have been dangerous to use it without a code. When Amin’s people realised who it was, they spoke to him on the radio and advised him to withdraw up to eight miles (12km) from Mutukula where he would find ammunition ready for him”.

The ambush
He further wrote: “In the meantime, Amin had flown troops behind Okello’s lines, landing them at Lukoma airstrip five miles from the Tanzania border. When Okello’s convoy arrived at the agreed point sometime during the night, they fell into the ambush and disintegrated. Many soldiers were either killed or captured. Many civilian UPC leaders also had the same fate. They included people like Joshua Wakholi, Alex Ojera and Picho Ali. The incompetence of the leaders was incredible. How a convoy could travel without an advance group and without prior reconnaissance information, especially as it had already lost the element of surprise, was simply incomprehensible”.

Wakholi’s confession
Having been taken Prisoner of war, Wakholi, a former minister for public service and MP for Bugisu South-West, was interrogated and a statement was recorded on September 23, 1972, in Kampala.

“When the January 25 army coup [Idi Amin overthrow of Milton Obote] took place, I was at my house in Mbale [Bugisu sub-region eastern Uganda] and I ran to Kenya for a day and then came back to Uganda when his Excellency the president forgave all the ministers of the Obote government.

On March 2, 1971, I was arrested and put in Makindye prison for two-and-half months and was released by the grace of his Excellency, the president on May 17, 1971. I went home to Mbale and lived very happily until on February 28, 1972, when Mr Makubai Osumani, one of the Bugisu District Elders Council, warned me that my life was in trouble and therefore I had to run to Tanzania.

While in Uganda after the coup, I tried to live a normal life except that there were people who repeatedly went to the army authority and said I was not loyal to the General’s government. So I was scared, particularly when the allegations were made by a lot people. When I was released from Makindye prison, I found that a lot of people from Bugisu district had left for Tanzania for training as guerrillas and my own brother was one of them”.

Wakholi laboured to explain to the interrogators how his brother could have travelled to Tanzania without his knowledge in vain. Nonetheless, in response, he said: “But the boy left for Tanzania before I came out of Makindye prison. But even when I tried to deny knowledge of his departure, nobody in authority seemed to listen to me.

On one occasion, the Bagisu district elders found that about 70 people from Bugisu had gone out to Tanzania for guerrilla training. An appeal was made to all parents to call their sons back. Some boys heeded to the call and came back. At the time of the attempt by the Obote forces to attack Uganda, there were only 40 Bagisu boys in the whole group”.

Wakholi went on to describe tribal rows in the rebel camps in Tanzania. “When I arrived in Dar es Salaam, I noticed straight away that there was a lot of trouble in the group. The tribal quarrels between Acholi and Lango groups were at the worst and continued so until very late. There were attempts to antagonise all other Bantu boys in the group by accusing them of having gone to look for jobs and that they were planning for a Bantu coup. These quarrels went as far as affecting Raisi [president Julius] Nyerere and his advisers.

Rumours of a tribal massacre

“Nyerere himself had to decide whether to help us with arms for training. There were even more serious allegations that when they finally come home (Obote’s boys from Acholi and Lango) would kill every Bantu tribesmen, particularly the Baganda. This worried the Tanzanian president and Nyerere was very reluctant to give us any help. Obote had to struggle very much in negotiation for the final move though not without some misgiving on Raisi Nyerere’s part”.

Wakholi, a 46-year-old, had received some military training in preparation for the war. He also revealed how the war was planned after the military training and the ferrying of their troops to the frontline at the Uganda border less than 72 hours to the start of the war against President Idi Amin and his government.

“Our convoy started from the Kaboyo National Service Camp at 10pm in the evening. We were already three hours late so we didn’t expect to get to our targets on time. The total convoy was about 1,200 soldiers in all. We were divided into five groups. Group one was commanded by former Captain Oyira. This group was to attack Mbarara barracks. Group two led by former Captain Orach had a company which was to attack Masaka barracks. Group three had a company under the command of Captain Bazilio Olara Okello, which was to attack the Malire garrison at Lubiri in Kampala. Group four had one company commanded by former captain Ogwang. This was to attack Mbuya military barracks also in Kampala. Group five was the artillery regiment for support. It was commanded by the former Lt Col Langoya but its members were distributed among other companies. Colonel Tito [Okello Lutwa] was in the General Command and [Lt Col] Oyite Ojok was second in Command. Captain Nyeko was the third in Command,” Wakholi narrated.

Attack plan
The first attack by the rebels on Uganda should have occurred on September 14, 1971, but that was changed. According to the initial plan, it was supposed to be a simultaneous surprise attack from four directions. The four attack positions were from Lake Victoria, Mutukula border in Masaka district and Kikagati border in Mbarara, Ankole district, and from air – at Entebbe airport.

There was also the plan to high jack a plane from Tanzania and load it with fighters who would then land at Entebbe airport. The airlifted fighters upon landing, would capture and seal off the airport – while others would move to support the other group advancing from Lake Victoria to State House having sailed from Mwanza in Tanzania by a large boat and docked at the landing site near the Wild Life Education Centre (formerly the Zoo) a less than 10 minutes-fast walk to State House. The plane was to land about 300 fighters from Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania.

During the interrogation, Wakholi said: “Also part of the plan was the intention to seize a DC-9 plane of the East African Airways registration Number 5-X UVY, which would be piloted by Mr Tom Lalobo, who was a pilot in the Airways [East African Airways] and a brother of Mr Ojera, the former minister of information Broadcasting and Tourism. Lalobo was to fly the plane from Dar es Salaam airport to Kilimanjaro airport”.

Wakholi added: “The plane was involved in this plan with the full knowledge of the Tanzanian, government. Mr Rashid Kawawa, the prime minister of the United Republic of Tanzania was detailed to be physically present at Dar es Salaam International Airport to ensure that Tom Lalobo takes off with the DC-9 plane from Dar es Salaam without any interference”. He further explained: “Rashid Kawawa was also to inform the Regional Commissioner of Kilimanjaro region about who was supposed to ensure that the plane lands at Kilimanjaro airport and carries out the job that was assigned without any difficulty. The plan to airlift the 300 guerrillas to Entebbe airport in the DC-9 plane was supposed to start on September 14, 1971, and this group was supposed to capture Entebbe airport and then allow the British troops to land to assist them in their exercise of capturing Entebbe and Kampala.”

The turning point
All was going as planned until pilot Lalobo crash-landed the plane at Kilimanjaro airport bursting one of the tyres. Admittedly, it was this wheel puncture at Kilimanjaro airport that the history of the 1972 invasion was recorded differently. Wakholi further explained: “But due to the tyre-burst of the DC-9 plane, the whole plan was paralysed. And another means of transport had to be organised quickly to immediately remove the guerrillas who had assembled at the Kilimanjaro airport. The whole plan had then to be reviewed immediately and then the new attack was arranged for September 17, 1971”

When he was asked how and where they had obtained the arms and ammunition, he said: “President Nyerere personally provided us the arms which were to be used by the Liberation Movements to be used for fighting the imperialists in Angola, Mozambique, Rhodesia, south Africa and other countries of Africa still under the imperialist domination be given to us”.

Wakholi also revealed that the arms used would either be returned to the Tanzanian government or paid for if they had succeeded the war.

Obote was to come after

“According to the plan, former president Obote was to take over after Kampala had been captured. It was anticipated that Kampala would fall within a few of days. The rebel forces had anticipated the Amin regime to fall at least less than a month.
“Obote was to come in later on after Kampala had been captured.
Obviously, Oyite must have been appointed overall army Commander of the armed forces. And as I have already said, it would have caused some trouble in the so-called army,” Wakholi also observed.

“I would like to appeal to the president of Uganda to forget his quarrels with his brother Nyerere and try to solve the problems of these dying people. The General should call on his religious feelings and forgive every one of us who were involved in this atrocity.

“Before it is too late, his Excellency should contact other sister countries of independent Africa to use their good offices to solve this Uganda and Tanzania problems. In closing my statement, I would like to appeal to the personal and religious feelings of his Excellency the president to have mercy upon me poor soul who made the greatest crime against my country. I will be very grateful to him if he would spare my life for the sake of my people. I was a complete fool in joining Obote blindly without thinking about my family,” Wakholi said.

Wakholi was reportedly injured during the fight. On September 24, 1972, while receiving the Libyan troops in Uganda, president Amin said one of the former ministers in Obote’s government had been injured and captured during the fight at Mutukula border area.

The press report
Reporting about Amin’s address to the Libyan troops which had come to help fight the guerrillas, The Uganda Argus of September 25, 1972, said: “…fighting is still going on and this afternoon, at Mutukula, Mr Wakholi a former minister of public service and cabinet affairs in the former Obote regime, was captured alive and was seriously wounded and is being brought to Kampala but it is not known if he can reach Kampala”.

Recently, when the Satuday Monitor asked former Uganda army soldiers from the West Nile region, who participated in the September 1972 war if they ever saw the arrest of Wakholi, none could remember seeing him or even heard about his arrest by any of their colleagues from any of the front lines.

While Sunday Monitor obtained exclusive pictures of all high profile guerrillas captured during the war, we did not see anywhere a picture of Wakholi although we got scanty information about his capture. So was Wahkoli killed or he died of the said injuries sustained earlier before his capture?

Who is Joshua Wakholi?

Joshua Nabusoba Khaluswa Wakholi was born in 1926 in Bugisu, eastern Uganda.
Education: 1943-48 was at Nabumali High School, Mbale
1949-53 survey training school Entebbe
Profession career: 1954-55 co-operative assistant in the department of Co-operative Development and was from 1954-1962 the chairman Bugisu District Council. In 1961, he was elected a member of the colonial Legislative Council (LEGCO) and the following year, he was elected Member of the Parliament of independent Uganda, representing Bugisu South-West constituency. In 1962, he was the parliamentary Secretary ministry of health.

In May 1965, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Co-operatives. In 1967, he was appointed minister for public service, an office he held until January 1971 when the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) government fell.