By Richard Drasimaku
JEFFERY Amin was a primary school boy, unaware of what was going on in the country when his father Idi Amin was the president of Uganda.
But it has taken the 48-year-old courage to come out amongst the over 60 children of the former head of state to say sorry to the nation for the atrocities committed between 1971 and 1979.
He came face to face with Baptist Jotim, a clan chief from Acholi whose father died in the hands of the notorious regime’s soldiers in 1976.
This was during a reconciliation, peace, unity and development dialogue that brought together 102 cultural, religious and opinion leaders from West Nile, Acholi and Lango at Heritage Courts Hotel in Arua town.
Notable among the traditional leaders were the Alur Prime Minister Edwin Wathum, Ephraim Waringu, the Thebiz of Kebu Rigangi, Mathew Otto, the Lands and Mobilisation minister of Acholi and Benny Ocan, the Lango prime minister.
The others were Silas Akonyu a Kakwa elder, Stephen Drani a Madi paramount chief and his adviser Olga Tabea and the host Hanuna Ndema, the prime minister of the formative Lugbara cultural institution.
Chief Baptist Jotim (left) sheds tears as Jeffery Amin (R) apologises for the killing of his father by regime soldiers in 1976. Photo by Richard Drasimaku.
The eminent leaders discussed the events that led to discord between former friends Amin and Milton Obote that eventually evolved into hatred between the Acholi, Lango and the West Nile people with devastating revenge massacres.
Colourful street performances by Acholi traditional dancers through Arua town punctuated the two-day event organised by Uhuru Institute of Social Development.
But the mood was sombre as tearful Jotim narrated how some soldiers from West Nile went to their home in Kitgum to warn his father that he was on a wanted list of people to be killed.
They drove him to Malaba border post and told him to flee to Kenya but he refused and returned home. Four days later other soldiers came to abduct him. The next thing they heard was that dad was dead.
Jotim says he was overwhelmed by anger so much that when Amin died in Saudi Arabia in 2003, he refused to accompany Amin’s former Acholi wife Ester to a prayer meeting that was held at Amin’s ancestral home in Koboko.
It was a narrative that caused remorseful Jeffery to walk to Jotim to say sorry and apologise on behalf of the family for any wrong doing to the nation during his late father’s reign.
Jeffey Amin (L) joined by Acholi traditional dancers in the peace march through Arua town. Photo by Richard Drasimaku
As bishop Alfred Achur of West Lango Anglican diocese joined to counsel the duo, another wronged cleric Sheikh Adam Ayub rose up to confess his hatred for the West Nile people in general arising from an attempted slaughter of his father Ayub who was the former Khadi of Lango.
“I became a soldier to avenge that incident but today I want to forgive all West Nilers. We were fighting a war that was not ours,” Ayub said. To which Jotim added; “We are here because something went wrong. We have brought all the wishes of our people that we should burry all the past differences and unite for peace.”
Achur assured Jeffery that none of the people who gathered at Heritage Courts has a grudge against him or his family.
“Jeffery came openly to seek forgiveness on behalf of his dad because he is a good Muslim with strong faith,” the bishop said.
Ndema said it was needless to talk about past atrocities because they were simply too many. He emphasised that the leaders should make sure reconciliation goes to the grass roots.
Akonyu meanwhile stressed the importance of re-cultivating the friendship and cooperation between the different communities in the Northern region that existed before the Amin-Obote fallout so as to guarantee a better future for the young children.
“As a mother, we appeal to our husbands to join hands with us in upbringing our children in the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness. We have mourned enough because of disharmony, let us support each other so that we change the face of Northern Uganda,” Tabea urged.
Commander of the army's Second Infantry (RIP) and his wife Anna Okoya (RIP), were shot and killed in their home at Koro village, a few miles from Gulu town and Military Airbase on January 25, 1970.
.jpg)
+before+execution.jpg)
.jpg)
“We, however, got a major shock on seeing the third body. It
obviously belonged to a religious man who was dressed in religious
attire and with a red collar around his swollen neck.
Extremely touching,humbling,vicious and haunting yes the naked and extreme satanic,barbaric,evil and diabolical tortures unleashed on our people.My late father [Mr.Lakayana-Acika-CYO] a pioneer Radio Journalist and Broadcater met his death at Nakaserro Dungeon that fateful day in Feburary 11th 1977 together with his best friend;Mr.Charles.D. Ogwal-Agea for Commissioner for Education,Western Province ,both arrested from Fort Portal /Toro,driven to Kampala State Research HQ-Nakaserro Dungeaon were they wrote their names in their own blood,recorded the date and time of their arrest and eventual transfer to the killer Dungeon were they were butchered according to one Dungeon survivor Mr.Apollo Okello-Lawoko [Former Director of Broadcating];Ministry of Information and Broadcating;himself a personal friend of my late father and one of the most emminent Pioneer of Pioneers in fields of electronic news gathering and broadcasting,i want to pay glowing tribute to him for writing a deeply touching book abt the gruesome murders of prominent Ugandan and other nationals murdered by Amin and his henchmen;yes these are rock solid reminder for posterity and future generations to learn from the tragic history of our nation,written in the blood of our own people.May all who met their violent death at the hands of the evil men/women who took their sacred lives,be rested eternally in the presense of God up yonder in that mansion in heaven where the only thing there created by man are the scars in the hands of Jesus.R.I.P all our departed kinsfolks.Finally i want to personally thank my good freind and dear brother,beloved Daudi Kololo for courageously putting up the sad,sad,sad saddest links above,may God bless and keep you safe;best of the best;warmest good wishes for the new year from me2u.GBU.Amen.
newvision
Killed by Amin's Men 1979
Henry Masembe Katumwa
We shall always remember your love and hard work.
To my bro henry katumwa in the US, we miss you.
God bless.