Atrocities of Amin: Amins's Wives

Mrs Sarah
Kyolaba Amin:
Amin respected God

Kenya: Mzee Jomo Kenyatta Post Mau-Mau
Days With Idi Amin 'Dada' And Wives

Mrs. Madina Amin
Amin's daughters

Big Daddy Idi Amin Dada and his women

By Richard M. Kavuma

"The story of Amin and his women is one that turns bizarre,
comic and brutal."

Madina, Amin's fourth wife was a dancer when he met her.

That is how Henry Kyemba begins a chapter in his book, The
State of Blood. In the book, which he wrote from exile in
London in 1977, Kyemba talks of the field Marshal's five
wives and the thirty mistresses and the thirty-four children
he had with them.

But like anything else involving Uganda's self-declared life
president, the story of Amin's women is not without
controversy and horror.
One of his wives died in the most mysterious circumstances,
with some fingers still pointing at Amin.

Malyamu

Amin's first wife was Malyamu, a sister of former foreign
minister Wanume Kibedi. Kyemba describes Malyamu as
a "statuesque six-footer.... And physically a match for the
powerful young boxing champion."

Malyamu was reportedly self-possessed, proud and mature, even
in her early 20s, when Amin first courted her in the early
1950s.

Amin at that time a 28 year-old sergeant in the King's
African Rifles, was not an attractive son in law for the
Kibedi family. But like a teenager madly in love, Malyamu
risked her family's disapproval and went ahead to live with
him.

The Kakwa soldier did not formally marry Malyamu until 1966
and by then had "several children" with her.
He reportedly paid bride price to the Kibedi family and the
marriage was thus formalised.

Kay Adroa

A beautiful, intelligent Makerere University student and
daughter of a clergyman, Kay was Amin's second wife. He
started seeing her even before he formalised his relationship
with Malyamu.

According to Kyemba, who attended the reception of Amin's
civil marriage to Adroa in Arua, she was a dignified, quiet
and self-possessed girl.

For her wedding, she turned out in a white bridal gown and
Amin in a full army uniform, with Erinayo Oryema as the best
man.

Kyemba reveals that the romance between Amin and Kay had
blossomed shortly before when, in February 1966, Parliament
implicated Amin over allegations of stealing gold from Congo.
Amin responded to the allegations by going into hiding with
Kay.

Nora

Barely a year later, Amin was acquiring his third wife.

By this time, Amin had risen to national stature and this
marriage was awash with political innuendo.

Obote had become suspicious of his Kakwa hitman's intentions.
Nora was from Obote's tribe, the Langi, and the marriage was
a political statement to the effect that Amin had no hostile
intentions toward Obote.

Madina

Madina was a dancer with the Heart of Africa troupe. By her
own admission, it was during a concert when Amin spotted her
dancing and requested to have a word with her. Kyemba
narrates that Amin noticed Madina from the first days of the
coup in January 1971.

Writes Kyemba: "Indeed it would have been impossible not to
notice her. Madina was, quite simply, stunning. Although she
has now put on a few pounds, she had a figure then that was
dramatically sexy by any standards...She was slim-hipped,
with well-formed breasts and was a ferociously agile dancer."

One time, on a trip to Moyo, Amin undressed in the presence
of Kyemba and jumped into his bed. As Kyemba walked out, a
bodyguard ushered Madina into the room.Interestingly,
although Madina was such hot property, Amin enjoyed teasing

his ministers saying that they could take Madina if they
wanted. One minister who tried was later transferred to
another ministry and eventually dismissed.

In September 1972, as Obote made a daring raid from Tanzania,
Amin announced his marriage to Madina. He unwittingly said
the Baganda had offered Madina to him for all he had done for
them since the take over.

Later, Amin served three of his wives - Malyamu, Nora and
Kay - with letters of divorce. He accused Malyamu and Nora of
being involved in business while Kay was dismissed ostensibly
because she was a cousin of his.

However Kyemba reveals that Amin's womanising had not allowed
him enough time with his first three wives. Left to
themselves, the wives had acquired lovers. On the eve of
their dismissal, the women held a joint party for their
lovers and told Amin off - they told him to stay with his
Madina.

They faced a difficult time outside Amin's household. Malyamu
was arrested in Tororo, had her car was rammed into by Amin's
bodyguards and she was hospitalised. Idi Amin insulted her on
her hospital bed before she fled to London and Amin had the
shop he had given her upon the expulsion of Asians shop
looted bare.

Kay is suspected to have died as her lover Mbalu Mukasa
attempted a surgical abortion. Her body was however
mysteriously dismembered although Amin showed neither
surprise nor contrition at her death. Instead he had her
young children aged between four and eight brought before the
body and shouted at them, telling them how bad their mother
was. Nora, the Langi, simply continued running the business
for which she was divorced and Amin made no attempt to
disgrace her.

Sarah

Sarah Kyolaba, was a dancer in the jazz band of the Masaka-
based Mechanised Unit when Amin became interested in her. She
was barely 18 and was living with a young man.

Kyemba says that around Christmas Day of 1974, Sarah
delivered a baby at Namirembe (Mengo) Hospital but Amin had
her transferred to Mulago's VIP ward. On the orders of Amin,
Kyemba issued a statement that a baby had been born to the
President. The name of the mother was not mentioned. Amin
then had Sarah returned to her boyfriend's house but she
would be regularly driven to Amin's residence on the field
marshal's orders.

Later, around April 1975,Sarah's boyfriend, who was the
father of the child, refused her to be taken to Amin for
pleasure. He vanished and was never heard of again.

Writes Kyemba: "Sarah was brought to Kampala. She of course
knew perfectly well Amin had killed her lover but there was
nothing she could do about it."

Amin married Sarah during the OAU summit in August 1975 and
held two successive receptions because of what he
called "public demand". But he was later to be perturbed by
Sarah's failure to bear him a child.