Masaka played a great role in liberation Struggle, city now reaping big

By Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi

By 08.00 am on Sunday February 06th 2022, l and Masaka Deputy  City Internal Security Officer, Molly Happy Biira, were at Kasijjagirwa barracks, home of Mechanised Brigade of Uganda People’s Defence Forces, to attend cerebrations marking 41st anniversary of Tarehe Sita, 6th February 1981 when  now President Yoweri Museveni commanded  36 Ugandans with 27 guns to attack Kabamba School of Infantry, which triggered off the five year bush war.

As we were leaving the barracks for Masaka Liberation Square, l told Molly that Kasijjagirwa is historical as it was the hill of Prince Nkooleera, one of the sons of Omukama Wunyi l of Bunyoro and before the barracks was constructed in the sixties it was a traditional Nkooleera lineage.

Although Wunyi’s capital was at Kibulala in present day Kiboga District, North Singo, where his royal tomb is and where Kabaka Kimera of Buganda was born and groomed as a step son and grandnephew of Wunyi, the latter had a palace at Mukoko near Bukulula along present Masaka-Mbarara high way.

His other son, was Pookino, who was the traditional Saza Chief of Buddu, with a capital at Nattita near Villa Maria Catholic parish. Pookinoship was initially hereditary but though the lineage is still there, the saza office shifted to Masaka which is now known as Saza hill.

Wunyi’s first son was Kateregga Luguma at Bukakkata along the shores of Lake Victoria, my own ancestor and founder of lineage.

At the Liberation Square, after the address by Brig. Deus Sandé, the Brigade Commander, l also addressed officers and men of UPDF, Uganda Police Force, Uganda Prisons Service and Reserve Force and l flagged them off for the march.

I recalled that the ground was named Liberation Square by the Wakombozi made up Tanzanian People’s Defence Forces and Uganda National Liberation Army as it was the venue their leaders addressed wanainchi after the fall of Masaka at the peak of 1979 war.

However, as the late Comrade Chango Macho phrased, in 1979, a one snake (Amin) was replaced with another snake (Obote) which prompted a second liberation struggle that kicked off on February 6th 1981.

At the Masaka rally, one of Uganda’s leading exiles, Samwiri Mugwisa who later became District Commissioner Rakai District and Minister of Agriculture,  promised that all the buildings that had been destroyed in the war would be restored with walls that had had been ordered from USA which would be assembled , soon.

Some of the buildings destroyed, included the Town Hall which was headquarters of Masaka Municipality and Tropic Inn hotel which was under Uganda Hotels.

In order to make Mugwisa’s dream true, Rehabilitation and Development Corporation (RDC) was set up by Obote ll Government in 1981 for rehabilitation of Masaka, Mbarara and Arua towns, destroyed in the war, but all that remained on paper.

However , at the same Liberation Square where the National Resistance Movement  the then Interim Chairperson and Chairman of National Resistance Army High Command, Yoweri Museveni, promised, at end of 1985, during Katonga battles with the then government forces under the Okellos, have been fulfilled.

Masaka is now a city with a democratically elected leadership as the first NRM 10 now 15 point program is democracy.

UPDF is pro people and in addition to strict discipline, it also plays a social responsibility role including participating in “Bulungi bwansi” (self help) activities and medical services in Masaka District and city last year, and this time in Ssembabule, Rakai and Lyantonde, Operation Wealth Creation that has boosted agriculture from subsistence to commercial farming, Luwero Industries,  the Engineering Brigade that is playing a pivotal in construction, among others.

One journalist asked me whether Bannamasaka played a role in the liberation struggle. My answer was yes and l cited what the President wrote in his book Sowing the Mustard Seed (1996) as on his way to Kabamba from Kampala his vehicle had a tyre punch at Bukalasa Seminary and he had no spare except to walk to Masaka town where he got a vehicle from Mzee Rugyendo, a Town Clerk then.

In 1985, Lwengo was the tactical Headquarters of NRA and Greater Masaka fully participated in terms of manpower and mobilizing resources.

Brig. Sande said that the five year bush war took a short period because NRA now UPDF fought side by side with the wanainchi and it has remained a people’s army.

The march excited many Masaka citizens who climbed their buildings to take a glimpse. Others joined in.

National cerebrations were in Mbale where the Commander In Chief even awarded medals for some officers and men of UPDF, police and prisons distinguished service. However what made headlines was the of curfew on bodaboda operators now that the national economy is fully opened in a post Covid lock down.

Haji Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi is a veteran journalist and a Deputy Resident City Commissioner Masaka City.