With Tinyefuza becoming a general, Kyaligonza became the only member of this Historical High Command that has remained at the same rank of brigadier since the NRA captured power.He is the only NRA historical High Command member who never made the General's rank

In this fifth part of our series 'WHO FOUGHT', SSEMUJJU IBRAHIM NGANDA examines the role played by BRIG. MATAYO KYALIGONZA, RO 0034, in the 1981-86 bush war that brought Yoweri Museveni to power.

In his book, The Agony of Power, Kyaligonza says he first joined military service during former President Idi Amin's regime. He worked then in the State Research Bureau, Amin's dreaded security agency, until 1974. Kyaligonza abandoned his job after his boss, Col. Kakuhikire, was abducted and killed by the regime he served. Fearing for his own life, Kaligonza joined a rebel group called Save Uganda Movement (SUM), one of the groups that fought Amin. After Amin's fall in 1979, Kyaligonza joined the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), a small political party led by Yoweri Museveni that contested for leadership in the 1980 general elections.

Museveni had warned during the campaigns that if elections were rigged, he would go to the bush--a position that Kyaligonza, then a member of the UPM Hoima District executive committee, supported.

So on December 13, 1980, Kyaligonza met Museveni and proposed to him the role he wanted to play after the war started. Museveni briefed Kyaligonza on how he planned to start the war against Obote's government. The official launch would be an attack on Kabamba Barracks. Kyaligonza, together with Capt. Nkwanga, had stolen and hidden about 30 guns which he offered to use during the attack Kabamba.

Unfortunately, by the time he went to recover the hidden guns, Nkwanga had handed them over to Dr. Andrew Lutakome Kayiira, a leader of another rebel group, UFA, which also fought Obote. Because Kyaligonza had his own guns, and was working with Nkwanga, some veterans have told us that it appears he planned to form his own rebel group. But Kyaligonza writes that he was involved in recruiting fighters for the NRA together with Gen. Elly Tumwine, the late Sam Magara and Brig. Andrew Lutaaya. Some of the fighters he recruited turned out to be great fighters such as Col. Ahmed Kashilingi, Col. Samson Mande, Col. Patrick Lumumba, Lt. Col. Jet Mwebaze (RIP), Col. Geoffrey Taban, and Brig. John Mugume.

HIGH COMMAND

By the time the NRA captured power on January 26, 1986; and for most the years prior to the fall of Kampala, the guerrilla army was run by the High Command, its top policy organ. Matayo Kyaligonza was one of the eight members of the High Command who of course included Yoweri Museveni (Chairman), Eriya Kategaya, David Tinyefuza, Elly Tumwine, Salim Saleh, Gen. Fred Rwigyema and Tadeo Kanyankore. When the NRA introduced formal ranks after capturing power, four of the High Command Members made the rank of major general. These were; Museveni, Saleh, Tumwine and Rwigyema. The other four; Tinyefuza, Kyaligonza, Kanyankore and Kategaya became brigadiers. Two members of this Historical High Command; Kanyankore and Rwigyema have since passed on.

The six who are still living are, by virtue of this history, members of the UPDF High Command and are listed in the third schedule of the Uganda People's Defence Forces Act, 2005. With Tinyefuza becoming a general, Kyaligonza became the only member of this Historical High Command that has remained at the same rank of brigadier since the NRA captured power. NRA bush war veterans have told The Observer that Kyaligonza was not happy with the way ranks were awarded around 1989. He didn't understand why he was not made Major General right from the start, like Saleh and Tumwine. It has been claimed by some of his bush-war fighters that Kyaligonza saw ethnic undertones in these promotions and this left him disgruntled.

That is why, some say, he once slapped Sam Kutesa's late wife, Jennifer, during a heated argument and told her to "stop Bahima arrogance." This was seen as a grave offence on his part and so Kyaligonza offered to resign from the Army. He was instead temporarily stripped of his rank of Brigadier. Even though he later regained his rank, this incident was seen as the beginning of his woes and isolation. In fact, Kaligonza was later linked to a plot to overthrow Museveni's government and an order for his arrest went out. But Gen. Saleh who was ordered to arrest him did not execute the mission. On June 9, 2009 -23 years after the NRM captured power, his immense contribution to the struggle was finally remembered and he was declared a hero.

URBAN TERRORISM

After the famous attack on Kabamba Barracks on February 6 1981, which effectively announced the start of the bush-war, the unsuccessful guerrillas headed to Kiboga to hide.

This was because their lives were in danger as UNLA troops were now pursuing them. While the rest, including rebel leader, Yoweri Museveni walked to Kiboga, Kyaligonza headed to a different direction--Mukono. His real mission was to stage ambushes immediately as a diversionary tactic. His main task was to divert attention from Museveni's group which numbered just about 50 men.

In Mukono, one of his recruits, Col. Kashilingi, became his deputy and together, they planned terror attacks in and around Kampala. Kyaligonza writes in his book that they started with one and a half gun--an SMG and a pistol. Their first successful raid was on May 21, 1981 when they attacked Kisoga Police Post at night using stones. They stole seven guns and Police uniforms. These were added to the four rifles they had gotten earlier, after killing government soldiers on patrol on April 13 of the same year.

On June 3, they raided Ngogwe Police post in Buikwe, Mukono, and stole 11 guns. But not everything went according to plan. The government soldiers once raided and scattered the Kyaligonza group around Namugongo areas. Fighters who worked with him say that Kyaligonza ran to Kasangati, leaving his 'troops' behind. It is his deputy, Col. Kashilingi, who remained behind and gathered some of the scattered fighters.

From Kasangati, Kyaligonza joined the main NRA force in Matugga. And after regrouping the scattered fighters, Kashilingi also followed Kyaligonza to the bush. This was towards the end of 1981.

It was around this time that Museveni returned from Libya after a sixth-month break from the bush. The regrouping Kyaligonza fighters came to Museveni's rescue when UNLA soldiers detected his movements and started pursuing him.

To divert the pursuers, Museveni asked Kyaligonza to attack an army detach at Mpoma Earth Satellite, which mission he carried out with two of his fearless commanders; Samson Mande and Patrick Lumumba.

Kyaligonza is also credited with saving Gen. Saleh's life when Museveni was away. It is alleged by some bush-war veterans that Commander Sam Magara attempted to kill Saleh after a quarrel.

Kyaligonza writes in his book that tribal wars dogged the NRA leadership at the time Museveni was away, from June 1981 to December 1981.

The rebel force at this time was under four men; Sam Magara (from Kashari Mbarara), Jack Mucunguzi (from Rukungiri), Elly Tumwine (Ntungamo), Hannington Mugabi (Kiruhura).

Kyaligonza writes that Magara planned to ambush Saleh when he was sent to Mukono to temporarily work with him. When he learnt of the ambush, Kyaligonza asked Saleh to switch to another route - and this is how he survived. In fact, Kyaligonza notes that an operational message was sent out indicating that Saleh had landed into an enemy ambush.

Veterans tell us that Museveni sent his brother to work with Kyaligonza after establishing that Magara was trying to take advantage of his absence to harm Saleh. Saleh's death would probably have culminated in the ouster of Museveni from the rebel group's leadership.

Perhaps Saleh was paying back Kyaligonza's kindness when he protected him against arrest in the early 1990s. This conspiracy theory about a plot to murder Saleh is given some credence when Kyaligonza suggests in his book that commanders used to betray one another. He indeed says that he thought that his own capture, one time by government forces, could have been masterminded by his comrades.

He also gives credence to the suggestion that some NRM commanders could have betrayed Magara and got him killed when he sneaked into Kampala for medical treatment and other business. The killing of Mugabi by Jack Mucunguzi is also linked to simmering ethnic conflict. After the failed February 6, 1981 attack on Kabamba, the 50 NRA rebels split into four units under Tumwine, Mugabi, Mucunguzi and Magara, with Museveni as their overall commander. The Kyaligonza urban hit squad is not mentioned as one of the units at this stage.

When NRA grew in numbers to about 200, it was re-organised into six zonal units; Kabalega under Tumwine were in Kapeeka, Lutta under Mugabi operated in Kikandwa, Abdel Nasser commanded by Mucunguzi were on Gulu Road, while Nkurumah under Fred Mwesigye was based in Singo.

Mondlane under Rwigyema set up base in Kalasa, Makulubita, and Kyaligonza with his Mwanga group were in Mukono.

It is during this second major re-organisation that Kyaligonza formerly started playing his role as commander.

In January 1982, the NRA underwent another re-organisation, splitting into more units. Museveni did this after summoning all zonal commanders to the headquarters. Kyaligonza's Mwanga zonal force was named Task Force or Black Bomber. The late Patrick Lumumba was appointed his deputy. Col. Samson Mande was a platoon commander in this group. By his own admission, Kyaligonza made Kampala unsafe by throwing bombs at Police and army encampments.

Because Kyaligonza operated in civilian clothes, the UNLA soldiers harassed innocent people whom they suspected of being behind the bombings. Kyaligonza's Black Bombers that comprised about 50 rebels at the beginning slowed down the economy because people in Kampala were closing shops at 3.00p.m.

Being the commander of this terror outfit, Kyaligonza says his inner conscience felt condemned to death because he and his men were operating "just a breath away from the enemy stronghold."

CAPTURED

Indeed at one time UNLA soldiers captured Kyaligonza when he was still operating in Mukono. He was taken to [Maj. Gen.] Bazilio Okello who was based at Colline Hotel. A UNLA sergeant called Tamale is the one who captured him and handed him over to Maj. Isoga. This major was apparently not happy with the way junior soldiers had roughed up Kyaligonza. May be he wanted him handled properly so that he could reveal NRA secrets. The major jumped off his chair and began boxing his junior and in the scuffle that ensued, Kyaligonza fled.

Kyaligonza was captured again in 1983 while sneaking back into the country from a visit to Liberia where he had gone with Andrew Lutaaya to ask for arms. He thinks one of his colleagues betrayed him.

He was arrested at the Busia border and briefly detained in Tororo Barracks before he was transferred to the dreaded Nile Mansion in Kampala. Oyite Ojok, the UNLA Chief of Staff, was supposed to interrogate this senior rebel.

He says he was held in Room 211. Although handcuffed, Kyaligonza in commando style says he tied bed sheets onto the window and used them to climb and jump to the ground. He walked to Muyenga where his wife helped him remove the handcuffs. Then he walked straight back to Luwero to resume fighting.

Because his main role was to carry out terrorism in urban areas, Kyaligonza says that at one time he wanted to attack foreign missions but was restrained by Museveni. His most memorable operation as commander of the 7th battalion took place in 1985 at Matugga as the bush war drew to a close. The target was an army detach in the area. The reason Kyaligonza remembers this incident and writes about it in his book is because, except for one soldier killed when a truck failed to stop, they managed to disarm the rest without having to harm anybody.

In the end, the Kyaligonza unit, according to his book, captured 161 guns, 17 pistols, 3,000 SMG bullets, 27 anti-tank shells, 16 RPG shells, 2 Bazooka shells, 1 RPG launcher, etc. Kyaligonza says this was his most daring operation during the 5-year bush war. When the march towards Kampala began, Kyaligonza's battalion ambushed the UNLA soldiers at Katende on Kampala-Masaka Highway.

Kyaligonza's deputies; Samson Mande and Patrick Lumumba had left him and were commanding other battalions. He was now assisted by Stanley Muhangi. Kyaligonza's battalion fought in the areas of Mpigi and Kibibi before it eventually approached Kampala from Hoima Road. His force attacked and captured Makindye Barracks, among other assignments.

After the fall of Kampala, Kyaligonza's 7th, Chefe Ali's 11th and Pecos Kutesa's 1st battalions took the fighting to eastern Uganda, capturing Jinja along the way before proceeding to Tororo.

After another re-organisation occasioned by the growth in numbers, Kyaligonza's 7th battalion became 151 Brigade. He was deployed in Teso areas to deal with cattle rustling. During one of the Army Council meetings, Kyaligonza said the reason rustling was not ending was because of lack of supplies.

Museveni had complained about the unending cattle rustling. Having complained about supplies, Museveni appointed Kyaligonza Chief of Logistics and Engineering (CLE), replacing Chefe Ali. Eventually Kyaligonza was dropped. He remained without deployment until he decided to join politics. He was elected CA delegate for Buhaguzi County in Hoima District. After CA, he stood for Parliament and got elected, representing the same constituency in the 6th Parliament. He however lost the seat when he tried to join the 7th Parliament.

President Museveni then appointed him Ambassador to Kenya before he was transferred to Burundi recently. He is also NRM Vice Chairman for Western Uganda.

Next Thursday read about Brig. Pecos Kutesa's role in the bush war and what befell him after capturing power.