By Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi
President Yoweri Museveni has excelled in reconciling with the families of his former political and military foes and is blamed or not doing much for the loyal cadres.
At the joint prayers held at Kyankwanzi in the ongoing NRM MPs elects’ retreat the prayers were led by the granddaughter of the late Idi Amin, Dr. Aate Sharifah Taban Amin, the Koboko District Woman MP Elect, and Auma Linda Agnes, the Woman Member of Parliament for Lira District, the daughter of the late Maj. Gen. David Oyite Ojok, the Army Chief of Staff.
Museveni fought Idi Ami’s regime until it was toppled but he later made peace with Amin’s first son, Taban Amin, who is now Deputy Director General, ISO.
He also allowed Maama Madina Amin, one of the Amin’s wives and her children, to return home from DR Congo in 1993.
Taban named his daughter in memory of his paternal grandmother, Assa Aate, the mother of Idi Amin. She was a traditional healer and herbalist operating in Kampala and its suburbs near the army and police barracks like Bombo, Entebbe, Kibuli and Jinja.
In one interview, Idi Amin said that his mother prophesized to him that at one time he would be Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces and President and the prophecy became true.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that after Lady Drusilla Namaganda, the official wife of Kabaka Daudi Chwa ll had taken long without conceiving, she was brought Assa Aate, the herbalist who gave her
herbs and she managed to conceive, bearing children including Sir Edward Muteesa ll, who later succeeded his father as Kabaka of Buganda in 1939.
There are also reports that Assa Aate was so close to Chwa and that was why there were claims indicating that Amin may have been a son of Chwa. They cite seminaries between Chwa and Amin as the American height. However, such claims surfaced after Amin had taken over power, had allowed return of the body of Sir Edward Muteesa ll and was buried in a state funeral at Kasubi Royal Tombs, and had allowed the young Prince Ronnie Mutebi to be called Ssaabataka in 1971.
Amin had named one of his favorite sons, Mwanga, in memory of Kabaka Mwanga, who allied with Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro to resist British colonialism until they were exiles in the Seychelles.
The pampering of Amin by Baganda was not new as earlier Obote was named “Bwete” a Kiganda name, during 1961-1964 UPC/KY alliance, and calling the late Gen. Tito Okello Lutwa , “Lutwama” after ousting Obote in July 27th 1985 coup d’etat.
In an interview with Maama Madiina Najjemba Amin, one of the late Idi Amin’s widows, castigated Tanzanian forces for having bombarded Assa Aate’s grave in Arua in 1979 war and the body was unearthed.
However, the locals came back and reburied it decently. The Tanzanians may have done it unintentionally or they may have been acting in avenge for Uganda Armed Forces’ atrocities in Kagera Salient in November 1978 which Amin annexed amidst killing, looting and raping and Amin himself was quoted as saying that the only survivors were only three dogs and two cats.
According to the MP Elect, her father, Taban was a rebel in Kinshasa where he had seized Uganda’s embassy and turned it into his residence, appointed him a Deputy Director General of Internal Security Organisation, and awarded his children including Aate, State House scholarships and they studied, and NRM has groomed them into leadership including his brother Taban Idi Amin, the outgoing MP for Kibanda North in Kiryandongo District. She said that she did not see
her grandfather Idi Amin, but that President Museveni has stood in well for her as the grandfather.
Museveni also fought Obote ll regime from 1981 to 1985. Its Army Chief of Staff was Maj. Gen. David Oyite Ojok who was killed in a plane crash in December 1983 while chasing out National Resistance Movement/Army (NRM/NRA) rebels commanded by Yoweri Museveni in Luwero District.
Oyite was a cousin of the late Milton Obote. His daughter Auma was in Opposition UPC, Obote’s party, but was persuaded to join NRM after the informal NRM/UPC alliance in Lango since 2016 elections and was appointed a RDC and from there she is now an MP.
Haji Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi is a veteran journalist and a
Communications Assistant with Ministry of ICT and National Guidance
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